


Sleep

by Layora88



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Fluff and Smut, Insomnia, Love Confessions, M/M, Nightmares, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-29
Updated: 2016-11-29
Packaged: 2018-09-02 23:16:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8687368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Layora88/pseuds/Layora88
Summary: Steve's been keeping a secret from the Team. Bucky and the rest of the Team find out and this leads to some really lovely confessions and sexy-times; there's actually a plot here...sort of, haha. Enjoy nevertheless. <3





	

**Author's Note:**

> Updated/Edited as of January 19th, 2017 Enjoy!
> 
> Also...these guys are such dorks...I love them. <3

“I’m feelin’ shawarma. Shawarma sounds good, what does everyone else think?” Tony asked as he strolled through the common room of the Avenger’s Tower.

There was a series of groans that followed him and the brunette rolled his eyes, “Oh come on, guys. Work with me here.” He huffed.

“No, Tony. We had shawarma last week. Can’t we try something different?” Steve asked with a deep sigh. 

There was a chorus of agreement followed by several other suggestions and eventually they settled on Thai. The Avengers had just gotten back from defeating unnamed villain of the week and had returned to the Tower feeling incredibly famished. 

It wasn’t a particularly gruelling battle or anything, but of course it had pulled them all out of bed incredibly early and they were all a little starved and feeling the after affects of the fight.

So, they settled on ordering Thai food and now they were all happily eating in the comfort of the communal floor living room. They were chattering on while a movie played absentmindedly on the television, bodies strewn upon just about every available surface of the room. 

Steve sighed deeply, setting his now empty take-out container down on the coffee table. He was stretched out against the arm rest of the couch, his legs drawn up beside him. He let his chin settle in the palm of his hand as he rest his elbow against the arm of the couch and huffed out a little breath as he pinched the bridge of his nose. 

Bucky glanced over at his friend curiously from the lazy-boy recliner off to the blonde’s right. “You okay, Cap?” He asked gently.

Steve nodded. “Yeah, Buck. I’m alright, just tired…didn’t sleep so well last night,” He murmured.

Bucky just nodded, shovelling more of his take-away into his mouth before nodding his head towards the elevators. “You can head up if you want. I’ll be up shortly,” Bucky told him through a mouthful of food. 

Steve shook his head, a fond smile on his face. “Nah, it’s okay, Buck. I’ll wait for you. I’m sure I can stay awake for another bit yet.”

Bucky shrugged, “Suit yourself.”

Steve relaxed and slid down the couch a bit, making himself a bit more comfortable. He wasn’t about to sleep or anything, at least that’s what he kept telling himself, he just wanted to relax for a bit. 

Tony flopped down beside him on the couch and smiled warmly over at the blonde before he pulled a tablet from the coffee table and started tapping away at it. Steve settled in a bit more and allowed his attention to be drawn towards the television where Clint had put on some film or another to keep a few of them entertained.

The conversation in the room was comforting, he soon realized. All of his teammates, his friends laughing and joking with one another about how terrible the robots they had fought earlier in the day had been. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he agreed, but presently he was starting to slip off to sleep.

Natasha made a point to settle herself down on the arm rest of Bucky’s chair and the brunette glanced up at her with a soft smile. She returned it, only to then gesture towards the sofa where Steve had taken up residency.

Bucky glanced over at him and couldn’t help the little smile that tugged at his lips. The blonde was completely out, deep in sleep. His lips were parted slightly in sleep, his cheek squished up against the arm rest of the couch as well. 

The brunette shook his head and sighed, “Punk should have just gone up to bed.”

Natasha chuckled softly, “Ah…but that would have meant leaving your side.” 

Bucky glanced up at her, his brows furrowing adorably so. He wondered what she meant by that exactly but before he had a chance to ask, she was slipping away to sit next to Clint and steal some of his chicken. 

He shook his head and huffed out a breath before he went back to eating his own chicken and was promptly caught up in conversation with Sam. Tony glanced up not two minutes later, his tablet forgotten for a moment when he heard a soft noise coming from the blonde beside him. 

He eyed the blonde for a moment and realized he was still fast asleep. He regarded him for another moment when he heard nothing more and promptly went back to working on his tablet.

But not even a minute later, Tony found himself distracted once again by a soft whimper coming from the blonde super-soldier. He frowned and set his tablet down, just watching the blond. 

Steve’s brows were knit tightly together in sleep, his face scrunched up in what looked like pain. Tony sat up a little straighter and shifted his back towards the opposite arm rest to better see the blonde. “Hey, Jarvis?” Tony asked softly.

“Yes, Sir?” The AI asked smoothly.

“How’s Cap doin’?” Tony asked and in doing so, he drew the attention of the rest of the Team who had heard him ask such a question.

“He seems to be having a night terror, Sir,” The AI began but then paused for a beat before continuing. “May I suggest distancing yourself a little more from the Captain for the time being? He is known to lash out on occasion during these episodes,” Jarvis told him.

Tony frowned, his head tilting curiously as he watched the blonde. Bucky was frowning deeply from his spot on the chair beside them and he slowly stood up, moving to crouch down in front of his friend. Tony drew his legs back away from the super-soldier, but made no further attempt to move away. 

Now Natasha was hovering over Bucky’s shoulder as well. “Should we wake him?” Natasha asked gently.

Bucky frowned deeply and nodded, his flesh and blood hand reaching out to gently grasp his friend’s shoulder. Steve made no move to shrug him off. He didn’t seem to notice anyone had actually touched him at all and the rest of the Team watched as their Captain started to groan and shift uncomfortably on the couch. 

Tony looked between the two friends quietly for a moment, just observing the two. Steve looked like he was definitely in pain now and Tony piped up, “How are his vitals?” He asked Jarvis curiously.

“His heart rate is increasing rapidly, Sir,” The AI replied.

Bucky shifted and squeezed the blonde’s shoulder a little harder. “Hey, Stevie. Time to wake up, pal,” He murmured.

The blonde gasped out, his breathing becoming laboured as he started shifting jerkily against the sofa; but he was still clearly lost in his nightmare. Bucky bit his lower lip, moving his flesh and blood hand up to cup the side of the blonde’s neck, “Come on, pal. Wake-“ 

He was promptly cut off when his friend let out a heartbreaking keening sound that shot straight to Bucky’s heart. He grimaced and tried to shake his friend awake, not wanting him to be subjected to whatever nightmare he was being forced to endure.

“Stevie-” Bucky said a little louder, a little firmer, giving the blonde another light shake. “ _Come on_ -“ He muttered but was quickly cut off when the blonde cried out unexpectedly, his hand shooting out blindly to fight him off. 

He was still clearly asleep and was fighting against some unknown being and Bucky did the only thing he could think of. He acted quickly; his metal hand grasping the blonde’s flying fist while his flesh and blood hand reached out to wrangle his other hand.

Steve was fighting him in his sleep, lashing out and whimpering loudly, choking on guttural cries that barely managed to escape his throat; but they heard them all the same. “ _Wake up_ -“ Bucky snapped, moving to pin the blonde onto his back against the sofa. 

Tony quickly got out of the way, jumping off the couch and letting the brunette get a handle on things. The entire Team was now hovering nervously, watching as the two super-soldiers grappled on the sofa.

“ _Stevie_ -come on, pal. It’s just a dream, _it’s me._ Wake up!” He demanded, much louder now.

The blonde’s eyes snapped open, a horrible sob escaping him as his eyelids fluttered, his face pinched up in clear terror as he continued to struggle against the brunette. Bucky frowned deeply, leaning in a little closer to his friend and effectively pinning him to the couch. He was straddling the blonde’s thighs, holding his arms down over his chest as carefully as possible so as not to hurt him. 

Steve’s focus wasn’t entirely there just yet, he had clearly been deep in whatever nightmare had consumed him and he still fought weakly against the brunette. “Steve- _Stevie_ -hey pal, it’s just a dream. You’re _here_ , you’re _safe_. We’re back at the Tower, you’re alright,” He murmured soothingly.

Steve was sobbing brokenly now, his eyelids fluttering quickly as his struggles slowly began to dissipate and realization started to settle in. “ _Buck?_ ” Steve choked out, the blonde finally ceasing his struggling. 

He was still breathing harshly and his face was contorted uncomfortably, but he seemed to be fully awake now.

“Hey, pal. Yeah s’me,” Bucky assured, slowly letting go of the blonde’s hands and lifting himself off of his thighs.

Steve was trembling hard as he blinked back tears, his hands reaching up to wipe them hastily away and as he sat up, he quickly realized that they weren’t alone. In fact, the _whole Team_ was hovering and watching him worriedly.

“ _Oh God-_ ” Steve gasped, shakily rising to his feat as he surveyed his Team.

“Hey, it’s okay-“ Bucky tried to reassure him, reaching out to place a hand on his friend’s shoulder, but the blonde just brushed past him and started towards the elevators, still shaking horribly.

“I’m sorry-p-please…excuse me-“ Steve practically sobbed as he shouldered past his friends and the concerned gazes of his teammates.

Bucky tried to go after him, but Tony’s hand on his elbow stopped him. He looked nervously down at the genius and frowned. “I should go make sure he’s alright,” Bucky murmured.

“James…just give him a minute,” Tony sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose harshly. “Hey J…how often does Cap have these night terrors?” Tony asked nervously.

Jarvis was quiet for a beat. “The Captain experiences night terrors frequently, Sir,” The AI informed them.

Tony huffed slightly, “And what is frequent, J? How much sleep is he getting?” 

Bucky watched the genius quietly, his brows pinched together in concern. “Captain Rogers…does not appear to sleep for more than an hour or two at any given time,” Jarvis told them. 

Bucky grimaced, his hands clenching slightly at his sides and Tony swallowed hard. “When was the last time he slept prior to just now?” Tony asked.

“53 Hours ago, Sir. He slept for a total of 1 hour and 17 minutes before he was awoken by a night terror,” The AI replied. 

Bucky swore under his breath. “How long has this been going on?” Bucky asked the AI.

“Since his first night here in the Tower, Sergeant Barnes,” The AI responded with what could have been sympathy.

“Fuck-“ Bucky muttered and Tony was squeezed his shoulder tightly.

“Okay…okay, we definitely should have realized this sooner,” The genius offered, frowning deeply.

Bucky growled, “ _Ya’ think?_ ” He snapped, turning and starting to pace across the living room.

The others were watching him nervously and Natasha frowned deeply, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “James, we’ve got to come up with a game plan here. But…don’t you share an apartment with him? Does he honestly never sleep?” She asked curiously.

Bucky frowned and stopped his pacing, “Actually…no…I’ve never seen him sleep since being back. I mean…not before this afternoon. Every time I have a nightmare and I go and see if he’s up to…keep me company-he’s always awake and reading in his room…or watching television or drawing or down at the gym… _fuck_ -why didn’t I realize this sooner?” He snapped, his hands winding themselves in his hair and tugging hard.

Wanda approached the brunette and carefully extracted his hands from his hair. “It’s not your fault,” She murmured, looking up at him in concern.

He sighed deeply and looked away from her, pulling his hands away carefully. She watched as he wandered back over towards the couch and sat down, putting his head in his hands. His shoulders slumping in defeat.

“Why didn’t I see it sooner?” He asked gently. 

Tony sighed and came to sit down next to the brunette. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. None of us saw the signs. Now that I actually think about it, yeah…I can see it. Before you came back, he used to spend all of his time in the gym. Every time I went looking for him, he was never in his apartment…like… _ever,_ ” He muttered, shaking his head.

Natasha nodded, “It’s true. I’ve honestly never seen him sleep and he’s never mentioned having nightmares before. I think we’re all a little bit to blame here, so don’t be so hard on yourself.” 

Sam nodded, pinching the bridge of his nose, “When we were out looking for you, Barnes…I could barely get him to settle into a hotel room. I spent six months on the go with him and I didn’t see him close his eyes for more than ten minutes at a time.”

Bucky grimaced, shaking his head, “What are we gonna’ do? Clearly these nightmares are affecting him. He may be a super-soldier but even he needs to sleep.”

Bruce cleared his throat a little, “I could put together something to help him sleep. I mean…I’m a little worried that I won’t be able to make something that even the serum won’t metabolize too quickly though.” 

He sighed and shook his head, “But I’ll definitely give it a go.”

Bucky nodded and then quickly shook his head, “I don’t know that he’d be willing to take anything. But maybe I can convince him to at least give it a try if you can work something out.” 

Bruce nodded and glanced towards Tony, “Come help me out, Tony?” He asked.

Tony nodded eagerly, clapping his hands together, “‘Course I will, Brucey. But listen, James. Don’t overwhelm him…he’s been real good at hiding this from us and he may not be too keen on the idea of opening up about this to you or any of us, for that matter if he hasn’t done so already. So just…give him some time, okay?” Tony tried, giving him a sympathetic look.

Bucky nodded, looking up at the brunette from his spot on the couch. “Yeah, Tony. You’re right. I-I’ll just try and get a feel for him, see if he even wants to talk about it first,” Bucky assured.

Tony nodded and gently patted the brunette on his good shoulder, “Alright, we’ll let you know when we’ve got something worked out.”

Bucky nodded and went to stand, huffing out a breath as he looked around at his teammates, _Steve’s_ teammates. They were all willing to help in some way it seemed and they all wanted to be there for their Captain. 

Natasha nodded gently in his direction before murmuring in Russian, “ _Let us know if there’s anything you need, James. You know we’ve got your backs._ ” 

Bucky nodded before slipping off towards the elevators that would take him to their floor of the Tower.

 

Steve trembled hard as he slipped into his bathroom, quickly turning on the shower and stripping down. Not a minute later he was standing beneath the hot spray of the shower head, his eyes closed, head bent and hand resting against the cool tile of the shower wall. His breathing was laboured, shoulders incredibly tense. 

_How much longer do you expect to live like this?_ He thought, shaking his head angrily at himself. He’d been dealing with nightmares since they pulled him out of the ice and they hadn't gotten any better. His sleep he knew was suffering for it, but he just couldn't bring himself to actively seek out rest for fear of being subjected to yet another nightmare. 

But now…now his _whole Team_ was aware that he had nightmares. He had done everything in his power to never let any of them see that he struggled with sleep or nightmares or _anything_ , really. He was supposed to be their leader, their _Captain_. What kind of Captain would he be if they knew he couldn't even handle something as simple as a few nightmares?

He grimaced slightly at the thought and immediately started washing away the grime of the day. He took his time in the shower, not wanting to face anyone that may have followed him up to his apartment. Bucky had clearly looked worried and he didn't know if he was ready to have this conversation just yet. He thought he could manage on his own, but even he was starting to realize that this was a fool's errand. 

After a good twenty minutes under the shower, he pried himself from the bathroom and dressed in a pair of comfortable navy track pants and a white t-shirt. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he glanced over at his bed. He wanted to sleep, really he did. He just knew it was going to be a futile attempt, so he pried himself away and out of his bedroom. 

As he stepped out into the hallway, he vaguely thought he could hear someone making a little bit of noise in the kitchen. He quietly made his way towards the living room and subsequently, the adjoining kitchenette. 

Bucky was standing over the stove warming something in a pan and he looked up at the blonde with a gentle smile, “Hey...I was going to make us some hot chocolate. Would you like some?" He asked lightly.

Steve nodded slowly, moving towards the brunette cautiously. "That sounds nice, Buck. Thank you." He murmured.

Bucky just smiled before going back to warming what Steve now saw to be milk. He hovered nearby, just watching his friend move about to bring down a couple of mugs and the packages of hot chocolate mix. He quietly added the warmed milk to their mugs then and even went so far as to go and gather their secret stash of marshmallows hidden above the fridge. They seemed to be a hot commodity in the Tower these days. 

"Come sit down with me," Bucky murmured, handing a mug of the hot chocolate over to the blonde. 

Steve simply nodded and took it before making his way towards the couch in their living room. They sat in silence for a little while, just sipping at their drinks but Steve wasn't stupid. He knew what was coming. Or at least, he thought he did. 

But the probing questions never came. Instead the brunette just looked over at him quietly for a moment before speaking to Jarvis. "Think you could put on some oldies for us, Jarvis?" He asked the AI lightly.

"Certainly, Sergeant Barnes," The AI replied smoothly and then the apartment was filled with the soothing notes of Sinatra's voice. 

Steve just swallowed hard, raising his mug of steaming hot chocolate to his lips, taking a slow sip of the warm liquid. “Thank you,” Steve barely whispered into the quiet of their living room.

Bucky just gave him a little lopsided smile, raising this own mug of hot chocolate to his lips. They sat for a while, just enjoying their mugs of cocoa while they listened to Frank Sinatra sing his heart out in the quiet of their apartment. 

Steve shifted after a while, settling his now empty mug down on the coffee table gently. Bucky relaxed against the arm rest, turning his body so that he was facing the blonde, his legs outstretched slightly. Steve glanced over at him before he too slowly shifted so that he was mirroring the brunette’s position. Their legs were tangled together and slightly bent at the knees, but they were comfortable enough. 

Bucky pulled the pillow out from behind him and tossed it gently at the blonde who caught it easily. Steve glanced over at his friend curiously but when no further explanation was forthcoming, he shifted slightly and placed the pillow behind his shoulders. Bucky just sat quietly, watching all the while, his hands folded neatly in his lap.

“Jarvis? Care to lower the lights a bit?” The brunette asked as he pulled one of their blankets down from over the back of the couch.

“Certainly, Sergeant Barnes,” The AI replied.

Steve swallowed hard, quickly averting his gaze from his friend. Bucky was clearly trying to get him to relax and take a nap and for the moment, he wasn’t sure he could bring himself to do so. 

“Steve,” Bucky murmured, gently opening the blanket and throwing it over their tangled limbs. 

Steve forced himself to meet his friend’s gaze then and frowned slightly, “I-“ He started nervously but was promptly cut off.

“I’m not going anywhere, okay Stevie?” Bucky assured. “You can relax and try and get some sleep and I’ll keep an eye on you, alright?” He murmured.

Steve swallowed hard, searching his friend’s eyes for any hint of accusation or disappointment. But of course he found nothing of the sort. Just concern, concern and sympathy. He wasn’t sure if the sympathy felt worse or not at the moment.

He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, just breathing deeply. Bucky reached out to him then, laying a reassuring hand against his knee. Steve opened his eyes to look down at his friend’s warm hand on him and smiled nervously. “Okay…” He murmured.

Steve shifted to get more comfortable, curling up on his side as he drew the blanket over him a little more. Bucky watched him all the while, just leaning back against his side of the couch. He wasn’t going to sleep while the blonde tried to nap. He wanted to make sure he was well looked after and if there were any more nightmares, he’d be there to take care of him.

Soon Steve had managed to slip off to sleep. Clearly he really was tired and desperately needed sleep, but instead of focusing on the thought of slipping into some kind of nightmare filled sleep, he tried to focus on the fact that Bucky was here with him; looking after him. Just like back before…before _everything_. 

Bucky kept a close eye on the blonde, just watching the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed deeply. Jarvis lowered the music for him when he whispered to the AI and soon it was just a soft noise in the background. Bucky could hear the blonde’s calm breathing and relaxed a little more against the cushions.

Soon over an hour had passed by and Bucky had managed to reach for a tablet to keep himself busy. He felt a little bit like a creeper just sitting there watching his best friend sleep…even though he would have honestly loved to just continue to do so. 

Truthfully, he’d been madly in love with the blonde since before he had known what love was. He had fought against every instinct to confess, to tell the blonde all those many years ago. He had fought constantly against his heart, afraid of rejection, afraid of losing the one person in his life that truly mattered. 

He let his tablet settle in his lap for a moment as he glanced back up at the blonde, just taking in the sight of the beautiful man sleeping peacefully. He swallowed hard and quickly tore his gaze away, looking back down at the tablet in his lap in an attempt to distract himself. 

His phone started buzzing lightly in his pocket and he shifted to retrieve it. He unlocked the screen to see a text message from Natasha and he opened it quickly.

 

Natasha - How did it go?

Bucky - No conversation yet, but I got him to take a nap on the couch. He’s been sleeping for a little over an hour with no nightmares.

Natasha - Wow. I’m impressed.

Bucky - I’ll keep you posted.

Natasha - Let us know if you need anything. 

Bucky - Sure thing. Thanks, Natalia.

 

He smiled lightly to himself before tucking his phone away once again and picking up his tablet. He stared at the screen blankly for a while, not really making a move to do much of anything. He was still lost in his thoughts about the blonde tangled up with him on the couch. 

He wondered what it would be like to lie next to him like they used to back when their little tenement flat was too cold for the blonde to sleep alone during the Winter. They weren’t strangers to sharing a bed back then and even now, sometimes Bucky would crawl into Steve’s bed after a bad nightmare of his own, but Steve never curled up with him. He’d just sit with him and run gentle fingers through his long hair in an attempt to calm. 

He sighed softly at the thought. Those moments were so innocent for the blonde. Clearly just a friendly gesture to calm him, but Bucky always had to force himself not to read too much into the gentle caresses the blonde would give him during those times of weakness. Even when they were with the rest of the Team, the casual, friendly touches were always there. The blonde was always touching him in some friendly way or another. 

Whether it be just a gentle pat on the back or a squeeze to his arm or even an elbow to the ribs in jest. Steve had always been a hands on kind of person. They hugged all the time and Bucky did his fair share of throwing his arm around his friends shoulders or waist and tugging him in tight. But where Steve always thought it was just friendly, Bucky struggled to keep his touches friendly and not something more…

He frowned slightly and closed his eyes, setting the tablet down on the coffee table next to him. When he had come back to the Tower with Steve all those many months ago, he had felt so lost. Sure he had almost all of his memories back now, but he still felt lost. 

He knew that Steve had felt the same, lost in a time he didn’t quite understand. Together they had tried to educate themselves in all they had missed out on and their friendship had pretty well picked up right where it left off, but Bucky always felt that he was missing something. 

If he was being completely honest with himself, he knew what it was, but he felt selfish for even entertaining the idea at all. To be Steve’s friend, that should have been enough. To have been allowed to live in a time where Steve was still there to be his friend, that should have been enough. Except, _it wasn’t_. 

He had tried to tell himself that being his friend was enough. Way back then in the 30’s and now too, but he was struggling to keep himself in check more often than not around the blonde as of late and he was starting to worry that some of the others were catching on. He was just thankful that the blonde still remained oblivious to his attraction. 

Continuing on with the honest theme, Bucky was pretty damn sure Wanda knew how he felt for their Captain and probably Natasha as well…and maybe Tony too? He wasn’t very good at hiding his glances and dorky fond smiles whenever the blonde did something ridiculous and made him laugh or something. 

Wanda, he knew had the ability to read minds and well, it had been an accident really. He had been fighting off a slew of these awful slime monsters during a battle several weeks ago and he had lost sight of Steve. He had panicked and had dove in literally head-first into the fray, jumping off a building and throwing himself into the mess where he was supposed to be watching Steve’s six.

The blonde had walked into some kind of trap and one of the buildings he was by had collapsed. He didn’t get away from it in time and had been trapped. He was still coming in clear over the comms but Bucky was panicking something fierce. He started digging away the rubble with Wanda’s help but when he became too frantic and risked injuring himself, Wanda had grabbed his arm to try and get him to calm down.

She had tried to slip into his mind and calm him just a little, but Bucky had overwhelmed her with thoughts of losing his best friend and he was sure, sure she had seen the _desperation_ , the _love_ he harboured for the blonde. 

When they finally had managed to get the blonde out of the rubble, Bucky had hugged him so tightly he was sure he was probably breaking a few of his ribs. But Steve had just huffed lightly and hugged him back just as tight, assuring him that he was alright.

When they had gotten back to the Tower, Wanda had approached him quietly away from the others and placed a comforting hand on the brunette’s shoulder as she gave him a sympathetic smile. 

Bucky had felt her not delving into his mind exactly, but just, pushing her own feelings towards him. It was hard to explain exactly. But he got the sense that she understood and that she was simply showing him that it was okay to love him like that. 

They didn’t speak at all about it out loud, but he felt as if in that moment, she understood and really…she was the first one he’d ever told…or well, _shown_ of his love for his best friend. It was so overwhelming thinking about it all now. 

Natasha-Natalia, as he had once known her; seemed to just pick up on these things naturally, of course. He rolled his eyes at the thought. She never really said anything, however. But anytime she had ever caught him staring at the blonde for too long or giving him a fond smile while the blonde’s back was turned, she always seemed to give him this little smile. But he’d never seen her give that sort of smile to anyone else before.

It was strange, really. She looked sad, forlorn even, as she had observed the brunette and when she would purposely look towards the blonde and give him the same sort of sad little smile, he wondered what it all meant. He wondered if she understood what he was really going through and although he trusted her with his life, he wasn’t sure if he trusted her with his love-life…er, lack thereof.

And then there was, Tony… 

He huffed out a little breath and rolled his eyes in fond amusement. Stark was all talk for the most part. He’d constantly tease his teammates but everyone knew he loved them like family. He just liked to tease, really. 

For a while, the constant jokes and teasing banter had been incredibly annoying for him to deal with. But when he realized that half the time it was truly meant as just a joke, no real menace behind the words. He realized that he really liked the genius.

Tony was smart, that was an understatement and Bucky was pretty sure calling him smart would be an insult or something to the man. Bucky was pretty sure the genius was aware that he was harbouring a love so deep for his bet friend, that it would put his love for technology to shame. 

The genius’ teasing was primarily directed at Steve in regards to his technological knowledge and lack thereof. But Steve just smiled and rolled his eyes in fond amusement. Despite their banter and constant arguments, they got along really well. Steve did in fact give back as good as he got. He was a spitfire, always had been, always would be.

But Tony had recently started teasing both Steve _and_ Bucky…or more specifically, them as a couple. It started with a casual enough comment. Bucky and Steve honestly spent far too much time together, but neither seemed to ever really want to be far from the other, given their past. 

So Tony had started pointing this out to the rest of the Team whenever he got the chance. Sometimes he didn’t even bother with the rest of the Team, instead just pointing it out to Steve on his own, or even Bucky at times.

There had been one afternoon where Steve had gone down to the lab in search of Bucky and Tony had informed him that he was in the gym when they asked Jarvis where he was. So Steve had gone off to find him and not ten minutes later, Bucky had shown up to the genius’ lab coincidentally looking for the blonde. 

Tony had looked at the brunette like he had two heads before asking Jarvis where Steve was. Who then informed them that he was in the gym looking for the brunette. Bucky had chuckled and shrugged, admitting that he should have just asked Jarvis in the first place. Tony had given him this sort of… _look_. 

Like a… _You and your boyfriend really need to get your shit together and stop taking up so much of my precious time…but not really, because I rather enjoy your company…_ kind of look. 

So Bucky had apologized and given him a sheepish smile to which Tony had replied, “Don’t worry about it…but, just so you’re in the know…gay marriage is legal now…err, gay is legal in general, actually.”

Bucky had looked at him totally bewildered. He didn’t understand what being happy had anything to do with their current conversation or why the word marriage had come up. So he had cocked his head, furrowed his brow and observed the genius in confusion. 

To which, Tony had rolled his eyes, grabbed a tablet, searched for something for a minute before promptly handing it over to him. Bucky had stared in confusion at the screen for all of a minute before the words he had been reading starting to settle in. 

His cheeks had gone an ungodly shade of red in record time and he had glanced up nervously at the genius who was just smiling warmly at him. Bucky had barely managed to keep it together long enough to stutter out a; “I don’t know what you’re insinuating here.” Before thrusting the tablet back into his hands.

Tony had just smiled sympathetically after him as he pretty well booked it out of the lab and off towards the gym to find Steve. That afternoon- _no_ -that brief conversation, had changed everything for him. 

Later that night, in the safety of his bedroom, he had asked Jarvis to help him look up information about gay marriage and the like. He had been utterly floored by the information he had encountered and for days thereafter, he struggled with his feelings. 

He had considered going to one of his friends about this, but he was too afraid to open up to anyone. He knew he could go to Tony, but would probably be teased relentlessly for it. He also knew that he could go to Natalia, but he wasn’t sure that he could honestly open up to her enough to get what he wanted to really ask, out there. 

So, that left Wanda. And honestly, he couldn’t come up with many reasons as to why that was a bad idea. She was an incredible kid, and yes, she was a kid; at least in his eyes. She was technically only a handful of years younger than he was…if you didn’t count the whole 70+ years of ice time under his belt, but he still looked to her as a sort of younger sister. 

He knew that Steve tended to view her in the same light and sometimes went all mother-hen on her…but who didn’t he do that with? 

Bucky rolled his eyes fondly at the thought and smiled as he glanced over at the blonde who was still sleeping peacefully. It’d been almost two hours of peaceful sleep, but of course it didn’t last. 

He should have known better than to mentally question it. Not a minute later and the blonde had shifted in his sleep, his brows drawing together sharply and his face pinching up in clear discomfort. 

The brunette frowned and shifted, watching the blonde closely for a beat. But when he started to shift and whimper softly in his sleep and Bucky immediately moved to comfort him. Carefully he moved to try and shift the blonde back slightly towards the back of the couch and slip himself up beside him, his back to the edge of the sofa. 

He cradled the blonde to his chest soothingly and tucked his chin against the top of the mop of golden hair. He hummed lowly and stroked his friend’s back, just trying to soothe him through whatever he was dreaming about. The blonde was rigid in his arms for a time, his breathing was still laboured as well, but as the minutes ticked by, he slowly started to relax against the warm body holding him.

Bucky smiled softly, allowing his eyes to close and just enjoy the feeling of having Steve so close to him like this. He hoped the blonde would never judge him for enjoying the closeness like this. 

When Steve finally settled back into sleep, his breathing evening out. Bucky placed a barely there kiss to his friend’s temple, inhaling the scent of the blonde for just a moment as he allowed himself to settle into the couch a little more.

 

Steve yawned, moving to stretch but stopped short when he realized he was being held by a pair of strong arms. He opened his eyes slowly, only to be met with the sight of a very muscular chest. 

He blushed a little when he realized that Bucky was holding him and that they were still on the couch where he had fallen asleep. He shifted and Bucky stirred, pulling back from the blonde a bit to look at him.

“Oh, hey Stevie. Sorry,” He murmured, slowly untangling himself from the blonde and slipping off the couch as carefully as he could.

Steve smiled at him warmly, his cheeks still a little pink, “Hey, it’s okay. Were you holdin’ me the whole time I was asleep?” He asked with a bit of a chuckle.

Bucky smiled sheepishly, his hand flying up to rub the back of his neck nervously as he stretched, “Uh, no. Just when you started movin’ a bit. I think your dreams were taking a turn and I wanted to try and comfort you.” 

Steve smiled a little, averting his gaze as he sat up a bit, stretching out .“Thank you, I don’t think I’ve actually slept so well in ages,” He murmured.

Bucky smiled faintly before sitting down next to his friend, “You slept for almost four hours. That’s a good start, if you ask me.”

Steve nodded, glancing over at his friend, “Yeah…thank you, Buck.”

Bucky just shrugged lightly but then sighed, looking down at his hands as he folded them in his lap, “Why didn’t you tell any of us about what you’ve been going through, Stevie?”

Steve frowned, “What do you mean?” 

Bucky sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose just so, “Don’t get mad…but we asked Jarvis about your sleeping habits.”

Steve grimaced and looked away, huffing out a frustrated breath before he stood. Bucky watched him go with a sigh and tried to keep himself from going after him right away. But the blonde didn’t make an attempt to leave the area, so he counted that as a win.

Steve was frowning deeply as he started to pace the length of their living room between the coffee table and the television. “I’m sorry,” Steve whispered, never ceasing his stride. “I didn’t want you all to see me as weak. I’m not fit to be your Captain and I’ll understand if you and the rest of the Team want to appoint someone else to take my place.”

Bucky scoffed, shaking his head firmly and Steve faltered in his steps to look down at his friend who was giving him an incredulous look. “Steve…you’re not fuckin’ weak. _God_ -how could you even _think_ such a thing?” He asked in frustration, about two seconds away from pulling on his hair.

Steve frowned and cocked his head, observing the brunette for a moment in silence. But when his friend made no move to continue, he let out a sigh, “Okay…so is this one of those times where I’m so wrong and I was somehow completely blinded because of the whole _Captain America_ role that’s been thrust upon me?” He asked nervously.

Bucky made a frantic wide open armed gesture with both of his hands, the plates of his metal arm whirring with the effort and huffed out a very exasperated breath. “Ya’ think, Stevie?” He snarked.

Steve grimaced, turning his head away before he sighed deeply and flopped down next to the brunette, “ _Well shit…_ ” He muttered.

Bucky chuckled softly and threw his flesh and blood arm around his friend, tugging him in close, “You’re such an idiot.”

Steve huffed out a breath, “Yeah…I guess I am.”

Bucky nodded, “Ah, well. At least now that we know what you’re dealing with, we can help.”

Steve frowned, “Buck, I don’t nee-“ 

Bucky gave him a flat look and Steve cut himself off. “If you so much as finish that thought, I’m going to kick your ass,” Bucky muttered.

Steve gave him a wry grin, “Yeah…okay, Buck.”

Bucky nodded. “S’ what I thought,” Bucky huffed.

Steve rolled his eyes and sighed, “So, what do you suggest to help me sleep?” 

Bucky shrugged, “Well…the science bros are currently working on some kind of medicine for you to help you sleep, but Bruce wasn’t sure he was going to be able to make anything that your metabolism wouldn’t tear through in ten seconds flat. But…you sleeping with me watching over you seemed to work alright. Maybe we could go back to sharing a bed, you know-like we used to, just so I can keep an eye on you and if you start having a nightmare. I can do what I did this time and just try and cozy up to you. You responded alright, didn’t try and attack me or nothin’,” Bucky said, nearly stumbling over his words in his haste.

Steve frowned deeply, “But what if you’re sleeping and I do wind up attacking you? I’ve lashed out before during my nightmares, not just like I did today in the common room. I’ve broken several lamps-“ Steve confessed.

Bucky chuckled softly and waggled his metal fingers in front of the blonde’s face, “I think I can handle you, Stevie.”

Steve huffed out a little laugh and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Yeah, yeah. Alright…I guess we can share a bed. It’s not like I need an entire king size bed to myself or anything.”

Bucky chuckled softly and smirked, “Punk.”

Steve just grinned at him, “Jerk.” 

And just like that, Bucky knew he was done for. He had just agreed to curl up in bed with the man he had been pining over for the better part of a century and what’s worse? The fact that he’d be forced to _watch, comfort,_ _hold_ and _care_ for the love of his life in such an intimate setting. He needed to talk to Wanda…like, _yesterday_.

 

It was nearing on nine o-clock and Bucky wondered if he’d have time to talk to the brunette before Steve wanted to try for sleep. Er… _if_ he wanted to try for sleep. Steve had said he wanted to go and workout for a bit in the gym so Bucky had taken the opportunity to slip out of their apartment and head down to the communal floor to see if he could find her. 

Sure enough, as he wandered into the kitchen, he found Wanda and Tony making smoothies together. Tony was busy popping things into the blender while Wanda sat on the edge of the counter peeling a banana to add to their mix. 

They looked up when he entered the room and gave him a soft smile. “Hey, Robocop. How’d nap time go?” Tony asked lightly.

Bucky rolled his eyes, “Nat told you? Also…I still don’t get that reference.”  
He pointed out.

Both Tony and Wanda chuckled softly and the genius nodded. “Yeah, she was with us when she was talking to you. And we really need to update your ‘welcome to the future’ movie list, because it’s clearly lacking,” Tony muttered.

Bucky just rolled his eyes before coming over to the counter to stand in front of the young woman who was just watching the proceedings calmly. “And nap time was fine…he managed to sleep for about four hours and he’s down at the gym for a bit-what are you making, anyway?” Bucky asked, peering into he blender as Tony added some chunks of mango in.

“Oh, we’re making fruit smoothies. Would you like one?” Wanda asked, peeling another banana and tossing it in. 

Bucky shrugged, “Sure? I like bananas…what else are you putting in it?”

“Mango, yogurt, orange juice and almond milk. It’s delicious,” Tony told him before putting the lid on and pushing a button. 

It started to blend the drink and Tony waited until it was finished to continue speaking. “I’m glad Capsicle was able to get a bit of rest. Bruce and I have had no luck on coming up with a solution to the metabolism thing, but he’s still taking a crack at it,” Tony told him as he started to pour three tall glasses of the almost orange drink for them.

Bucky nodded, “Ah…well, Steve and I are going to try something else for now.”

“Oh?” Wanda asked curiously as she sipped at her smoothie.

Bucky nodded, taking a sip of his own drink. “Yeah, uh…while he was napping, he must have been shifting into a nightmare so I just sort of…held him for a bit; you know-rubbed his back…comforted him…and he settled down,” Bucky murmured, sort of hiding his face in his drink while he spoke.

Both Wanda and Tony were smiling at him warmly, though Tony’s smile looked more like a knowing smirk and Bucky wasn’t sure he exactly appreciated it at the moment. He was already nervous about where this conversation was going to go without the genius present.

“Well, isn’t that just sickeningly sweet-“ Tony started, but was promptly cut off by Wanda elbowing him in the side.

Tony chuckled and rolled his eyes, pulling away from the young woman. Wanda just gave Bucky a sympathetic smile. “So…you’re going to just be there for him every time he goes to sleep?” She asked curiously.

Bucky shrugged a bit and sat down on one of the stools at the kitchen island. “I mean…we used to share a bed together back before the war. He was always getting sick and his little body could never keep in the heat, so I did what I could to make sure he stayed warm during the Winter,” Bucky told them.

Both Wanda and Tony nodded. “I gotchya’,” Tony murmured. “So you’re going to be on nightmare duty for the foreseeable future I take it…which means, _sharing a bed_ -“ He leered at the brunette and waggled his eyebrows suggestively. 

To which both Wanda and Bucky rolled their eyes in exasperation. “Yes, Tony. We’ll be sharing a bed…it’s not like the beds in the place are _small_ or anything,” Bucky tried, huffing out a breath before he sipped at his drink.

“I’m just _sayin_ ’-you _know_ , close quarters n’all. Might be a good opportunity for you to-“ Tony was abruptly cut off by Wanda giving him a _very_ disapproving look.

“Alright…so apparently Wanda has her own version of the Captain-America-disapproves-of-your-shit face…” Tony muttered as he started towards the elevators. 

Bucky just smirked and watched the genius go, “Thanks for the smoothie, Tony!” He hollered after the genius cheerily. 

To which the brunette simply flipped him the bird. Wanda laughed lightly and sighed, “Well…now that the adults are finally alone.” 

Bucky huffed out a little breath as he rest his elbows on the counter, setting his drink down in front of him. “Yeah…I sort of wanted to talk to you about something,” Bucky confessed.

Wanda nodded before hopping down off the counter and moving to sit down across from him at the kitchen island. She observed him quietly for a moment as she settled in and propped her chin up in her palm. “So,” She prompted gently. “What’s on your mind?” She asked.

Bucky sighed softly and shrugged, “I really don’t know where to begin.” He muttered.

She tried to give him a reassuring smile as she reached out to rest her hand over his own. Bucky glanced up at her then, just letting her hold his hand. She made no attempt to read his thoughts or push her own into his mind and for that he was grateful. 

“Just, start from the beginning. Wherever or whenever the beginning started for you, James. I’d like to help you however I can. I think I know what this is about, but I’m not going to pretend that I know everything when I’ve made absolutely no attempt to delve into your thoughts on the matter. And for the record, I never will. Your mind is personal, James. I would never betray your trust with something like that after all that you’ve been through,” She assured him with a soft smile and gently squeezed his hand in reassurance.

Bucky gave her a watery smile and nodded tightly. She removed her hand from his and made herself a little more comfortable. “Alright, so…spill,” She urged. 

He chuckled nervously and nodded, “Okay…but I’m going to get stupidly mushy on you and I don’t know if the kitchen is a good place for this sort of conversation.”

She laughed and nodded, “Fair enough, why don’t we go up to my room and we can chat there for a bit. Sound alright?” She asked.

Bucky nodded, “Sounds great.” He murmured and soon enough they were sitting in her suite’s living room. 

They chatted for a little over an hour about the blonde punk from Brooklyn that Bucky had fallen head over heels in love with way back in the 30’s. They talked about how much things had changed since then, through the War and into now and she just listened quietly. She barely spoke, except to offer a sympathetic word here and there or a soft chuckle when Bucky recounted a story of the two of them growing up together.

She was completely enamoured with the brunette sharing so much of his life story with her. She thought the way he spoke of his friend was so wonderfully beautiful and she just didn’t know how to tell him that what he was feeling, it was more than just love. 

She believed that what they shared was beyond brotherly, familial or even lover-like ties. It was a soul-binding love, capable of stretching across all of the universe and time. She believed that they had been brought together in this strange future together because it was destined to be. 

She smiled warmly at the thought and as the man slowly trailed off in his confession, becoming lost in his own thoughts, she reached out to him and rest a calming hand against his knee. 

“You want to tell him how you really feel, don’t you?” She asked gently, meeting his gaze with a soft smile.

Bucky swallowed hard, just observing her quietly for a moment. He tried to think if that’s really what he wanted to do and the more he thought about it, the more he realized it was true. 

At first, he had thought that he was telling her all of this because he thought that maybe she would just comfort him; tell him it was alright to love his friend the way that he did, but not to expect too much of the blonde in terms of returning his feelings. 

But the more he opened up to her about everything they had been through together, the more he started to think that maybe Steve had loved him the same way all along. Or at least…somewhat. 

He knew that their friendship was different than most, it always had been. Back before the War they had been incredibly close in nearly every aspect of their lives and then during the War…during that brief separation, they had both felt the complete loss of being apart from each other.

When Steve had rescued him from Zola’s lab…when he had looked up and seen his gorgeous blue eyes so full of sadness, but utter relief…he had realized that his friend would go to the ends of the Earth if it meant, he-James Buchanan Barnes-was there waiting for him.

Bucky frowned slightly then, his brows drawing together as he let his gaze shift to focus on the young woman’s hand resting against his knee. He took a deep breath. “When I fell from that train…” He whispered, the lump in his throat building. 

He had to swallow several times to get it to go down before he could continue. “When I fell…I watched his face…I’ll never forget the look he gave me, Wanda…my heart was fucking _shattering_ as I watched him reach out to me…but all I could think of-all I could focus on in that moment-” He choked back an uncomfortable sound in the back of his throat and she quietly squeezed his knee in reassurance.

“I was just _so fuckin’ grateful_ it was _me_ fallin’ and not _him_ …” He finished, his face contorting in clear agony. 

He shut his eyes tightly and fought against the tears that were threatening to spill. Wanda was reaching out to him, drawing him into her arms in a tight embrace. She rubbed his back soothingly and whispered comfortingly to him as he started to sob against her. 

“James,” She whispered against his temple, one of her hands lightly caressing the back of his head. 

Bucky tried to calm himself down as he slowly drew back, meeting her concerned gaze. “He would have taken your place, you have to know that. He would have given anything to keep you safe, I’m sure of it. Just as you would give anything to keep him safe. You are meant for each other, James. He would never reject you, not like you might think. He might be surprised and tell you he’d never honestly thought about you in terms of a lover, but honestly? I’m willing to bet that he’s at least thought about it from time to time,” She murmured, still soothingly caressing his hair.

“I’ve seen the way he looks at you, James. You are the centre of his universe. But from what I’ve gathered…he disobeyed orders of his generals to rescue you from a Hydra base…he then put a plane into the ocean because he couldn’t bear to live without _you_ -and don’t give me that look. We know that’s exactly what happened, don’t argue with me,” She huffed.

“Then, he destroyed SHIELD…er Hydra? Went after Hydra AGAIN, _for you_. Then he disobeyed his Team because _he believed_ that you were still in there, James. He believed that you were still in there. You may have been and still are the Winter Soldier, but you are and always have been, James Buchanan Barnes. You may have been lost for a time, but he believed in you and he went after you,” She sighed softly then.

“He will always go after you, James. You know that, don’t you?” She asked gently.

Bucky frowned, glancing down at his hands that were now folded in his lap. “Yes, I know he would. Just as I would always go after him,” He murmured.

Wanda nodded firmly, “Exactly. So no matter what you say to him, no matter what you throw at him, he is never going to not be there for you. You’ve been fighting against yourself for so long, trying to keep your feelings for him at bay. But if he only looked a little harder, I’m sure that he could clearly see how your love has transpired from just friends to something more and I know he would never hold that against you.”

Bucky nodded slowly, “I want to believe that he would never turn on me, Wanda. I’m so sure he wouldn’t…but that fear…you have to understand. When we grew up, being a homosexual…it was literally _illegal_. I’ve only just learned that it’s _not_ anymore. I mean, I could marry another man in this future and that… _that’s just incredible,”_ He whispered, clearly still in awe over it.

Wanda smiled warmly at him and nodded, “A lot of things have changed for the better.” Wanda assured him.

Bucky smiled a little and nodded, “Do you think he knows that it’s not illegal anymore?” He asked curiously.

Wanda chuckled and reached out to pick up her tablet from the coffee table, “You should probably see this.” She murmured, before bringing up a video and handing it over to the brunette. 

Bucky accepted the tablet and looked at it curiously. There was a video ready to play and she gently tapped the screen for him to get it to start its playback. The video was clearly of a press conference from shortly after Steve had come out of the ice. 

He was alone up on the podium answering questions to a slew of reporters. Many of the questions were about the War, how he had served his country and taken down Red Skull’s plane. But then the questions started in on how he was dealing with the changes the future had to offer. 

Like the food, technology, women’s rights and the like. He had answered in true Steve Rogers fashion by stating that the food was excellent, technology still baffled him to no end, just as it had back then. 

He had admitted that he was thrilled with the fact that women could now vote and were on equal footing as the men in this time. He even went so far as to talk about Peggy Carter and how incredible of a woman she had been and he was glad that she was able to live in a time to see all of this happen.

But then a reporter had asked him what he thought about gay marriage and the LGTB community and he had smiled so blindingly for the cameras that Bucky was sure women would be swooning just from the wattage of that beautiful smile. 

He then said in the video; “I am so incredibly happy that society has finally come to understand that love knows no bounds. Gender is not something that should define who you can or cannot love and as a man who identifies as being bisexual, as I’ve recently learned the term for it is; I will always be a huge supporter of the LGTB community.” 

Wanda reached out then to pause the video as the crowd it the video erupted into chaos. She quietly took the tablet from the brunette as she observed him for a moment and couldn’t help the little smirk she gave him when he looked up at him, giving her a look of pure disbelief.

“You’ve got to be shitting me,” He muttered. “He never told me!” He nearly cried and Wanda just smiled at him.

“I’m sure it wasn’t exactly something you talked about back then, James. Like you said,” She comforted.

Bucky nodded quickly, his mind going a mile a minute as he struggled with this new information. Steve liked men, Steve was bisexual. A term he himself just recently learned about. He shook his head in disbelief once again and Wanda just smiled at him reassuringly. “Was it right to show you that video?” She asked timidly.

Bucky nodded hastily, “Yeah, I mean-of course. I guess it’s just something that hasn’t exactly come up in conversation between the two of us. So I understand…sorta?” He said nervously.

Wanda nodded, “I mean, I’m sure he wasn’t keeping it a secret from you. It just hasn’t exactly come up in conversation with you, that’s all.” She agreed.

Bucky nodded a little, mulling it over. “Thank you, Wanda,” He said gently, slowly rising to his feet before leaning down to give her a kiss on the forehead.

The young woman smiled at him, “I hope I helped you work some things out, at the very least.”

Bucky smiled warmly down a her and nodded, “Yeah…you really did, kid. Thank you, I mean it. I’ll tell him…I’m not sure when, but I will. I can’t keep it in anymore and if there’s even the slightest chance that he might feel the same, I can’t not take that chance.” Bucky told her earnestly. 

She smiled at him sweetly and nodded. “I’m glad to hear it, James,” She murmured.

He simply smiled at her as he made his way towards the door, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Wanda. Have a good night.”

She waved lightly and whispered her good night as he disappeared out into the hallway and started off towards the apartment he and Steve shared.

 

Bucky was nervous. Like… _incredibly nervous_. Steve was in the bathroom brushing his teeth while Bucky crawled into the blonde’s bed. It was just going on midnight and they were both going to attempt to get some sleep… _together_ …in the _same bed_. He scrubbed his hand over his face slightly as he tried to calm himself down.

_Everything’s going to be fine…it’ll be fine…you’re fine…_ He thought, shaking his head. _We’ve_ _shared a bed hundreds of times…the only difference now is that now you know Steve’s interested in men as well as women…it’ll be fine…nothing’s changed much…really…_ He tried to convince himself.

Just as he drew the sheet up over his middle, Steve came out from the bathroom, smiling softly over at him. Bucky just smiled back at him gently and watched as the blonde slipped into bed beside him. They both wore sweatpants and t-shirts to bed. Bucky usually didn’t sleep in a shirt but he didn’t want to make the blonde feel uncomfortable or anything, so he didn’t say anything about it. 

The bedside lamp was the only light in the room and Bucky couldn’t help admire the way the blonde’s features were illuminated in the soft glow of the lamp. Part of him was cast in shadow as he lay down on his side, getting comfortable under the covers. He was facing the brunette and Bucky shifted a bit to get comfortable as well, turning on his side to face his friend.

Steve just smiled at him nervously, “I uh…hope this is okay, Buck. I mean…you really don’t have to do this or anything. I can survive with just a few hours here and there by taking naps on the couch or something with you around.” He murmured.

Bucky frowned deeply then. “Stevie. I want to be here. I don’t want you to just survive…I want you to _live_ , Stevie,” He murmured.

Steve bit his lower lip gently and nodded, “Okay, Buck…”

Bucky nodded. “Good night, Steve,” He murmured.

The blonde just smiled before he whispered his own good night and turned over to shut out the light. He stayed with his back turned to the brunette and Bucky couldn’t help the overwhelming urge that washed over him, wanting to reach out and draw the blonde back towards him. 

He shut his eyes and tried to force the feeling back and just enjoy being close to the blonde like this at all. They both lay awake for a little while, unable to fall asleep right away and Bucky let out a huff of breath. 

“Hey, Stevie?” He asked. 

Clearly he couldn’t get his mind off of his earlier conversation with Wanda and he really wanted to get this off his chest or he was sure he’d lie awake all night.

“Yeah, Buck?” Steve asked softly.

“Can I ask you something personal?” Bucky tried nervously.

Steve smiled softly, “Of course, Buck. What’s on your mind?”

Bucky bit his lower lip, turning onto his back to look up at the ceiling. “I saw a video…just, was a little surprised by it and I felt bad for watching it…well sorta…I didn’t know what it was going to tell me exactly,” He stuttered.

Steve laughed, “Buck…did you stumble across porn or something? Or better yet…one of _Tony’s_ pornos?”

Bucky guffawed, “Uh what? _No_ …definitely not.” He grinned then and shook his head. “Was Tony seriously in a porno? Uh you know what, no, never mind…that’s not what I was getting at, _at all,”_ Bucky chuckled.

Steve just laughed lightly too, “Oh, alright then. So what did you see?” He asked curiously.

Bucky huffed out a breath, still trying to get the image of Tony in a porno out of his head. “I uh…there was a press conference video of you, I guess just shortly after you were brought back. You were talking about gay marriage…” He murmured.

Steve bit his lower lip a little and nodded, but quickly realized that Bucky probably couldn’t see him, “Uh yeah…I know the one.”

Bucky smiled nervously, “You know…you could have told me.”

Steve shifted nervously beside him, “It just…sort of never came up…” 

Bucky nodded, “It’s okay, Stevie. I understand. I just hope you know that you never have to hide anything from me, okay? Especially something like that.” Bucky assured.

Steve bit his lower lip hard, “Why…why especially something like that?” He asked nervously.

Bucky just smiled warmly as he turned to look at the blonde in the darkness, only just able to make out his silhouette. “Well…because I sort of fit into that category as well…being bi, I mean,” He confessed.

Steve gaped at him, immediately turning over to try and see his friend. Bucky felt the shift, but didn’t tear his eyes away. “You’re bisexual?” Steve asked nervously.

Bucky nodded, biting his lower lip a little, “Yeah…I think I’ve always been that way…it’s not a new thing really. Just you know…back then it was sort of impossible to think about…”

Steve nodded, “Yeah…I mean. It was the same for me then too. When I learned about it being legal now, I was so relieved.” 

Bucky nodded. “Yeah…I felt the same,” He murmured.

Steve nodded, not really sure what else to say. “Thanks for telling me, Buck. I would have told you if it had come up or somethin’…I’m sorry I kept it from you though,” Steve told him gently.

Bucky shrugged, “Really, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”

“Okay…well…night-for real this time,” The blonde whispered as he turned back over onto his other side.

Bucky just smiled, “Good night, Stevie.”

Eventually they both slipped off to sleep and just a little over an hour later, Bucky was awoken by the soft sounds of whimpering coming from beside him in the darkness. The nice thing about their bedrooms was that there were floor to ceiling windows all across one wall and with the one way glass, Steve tended to keep the curtains wide open, preferring the natural light during the day and the light of the moon at night. 

So Bucky was able to make out the vague shapes in the room and thus the blonde sleeping next to him. Steve had somehow managed to kick off most of the blankets in the last hour and Bucky gently moved closer to the blonde, placing his metal hand on his shoulder gently in reassurance. He started murmuring softly into the blonde’s ear, just telling him that he was alright, that Bucky was here with him and to just relax. 

Bucky gently massaged his friend’s back and continued to whisper soft assurances to the blonde while he slept. Soon Steve was settling again, his soft whimpers dissipating as Bucky drew the blonde tighter against his chest. Bucky smiled against the back of his friend’s neck, just breathing in the irresistible scent of the man he loved. 

Bucky allowed his eyes to close again and he huffed out a slight breath before he allowed his hand to rest against the blonde’s side. He held him for a little while longer before he was sure that he was deep in sleep once again. Slowly he started to pull away but the blonde made a soft distressed sound and Bucky’s cheeks heated. 

Clearly Steve didn’t want him to let go. He chuckled softly at the thought before allowing himself to get comfortable next to the blonde, pulling up the blankets over him before he rest the metal hand against the man’s stomach gently. 

They stay like that for another few hours and with no signs of nightmares from the blonde, Bucky was able to sleep peacefully by his side. Sometime around 6:30am Steve woke up. His internal clock telling him that it was time to go for his morning run with Sam and he definitely didn’t want to keep his friend waiting. 

He shifted a little and his cheeks heated when he realized that his friend was holding him tightly against his chest with his metal hand wrapped snugly around him. He smiled brightly and continued to blush furiously as he attempted to disentangle himself from the brunette. 

His friend quickly stirred, however, mumbling sleepily as he flopped back over onto his back. Steve huffed out a little laugh and turned over onto his side to look at his friend, “Morning, Buck.”

Bucky’s eyes shot open in surprise and Steve smiled at him. “Uh…morning, Stevie. How’d you sleep?” Bucky asked sleepily.

Steve smiled, “Really great actually…I can’t remember when the last time I slept through the night like that was.”

Bucky smiled over at him warmly, “I’m glad it worked then. I slept pretty good too.”

Steve smiled, “That’s good. Did I wake you at all? I don’t remember what I dreamt about really.”

Bucky nodded, “Just the once around 1am, but I fell back asleep pretty quickly myself.”

Steve nodded and threw back the covers a little before he slipped out of bed, “Ah. I’m really glad I didn’t attack you or something…thanks for staying with me, Buck.”

Bucky just smiled and slipped out of bed as well, “No problem, honestly Steve. Don’t worry about it. Listen, I’m gonna go make some coffee. Would you like some before you go for your run?”

Steve shook his head, “Thanks, but it’s alright. Sam likes to get Starbucks on our way back…uh, would you maybe like to join us since you’re up? Usually when I slip out, you’re still sleeping so I never ask, don’t exactly want to wake you.”

Bucky smiled and shrugged, “I wouldn’t mind joining you, actually. Might be good to get out of the Tower for a bit.” 

Steve smiled, “Alright, great! I’ll just get changed and meet you in the kitchen in a few. Just…I should warn you…Sam doesn’t like to be shown up…” He laughed and shook his head when Bucky gave him a curious look.

“As in…don’t try and run faster than him…he thinks I’m tryin’ to make him look bad or something. Because of the serum I can obviously run a lot faster than him and well…he never takes too kindly to me one-upping him,” Steve told him with a wry grin.

Bucky just chuckled and rolled his eyes, “Alright, don’t one-up bird man.” He agreed.

Steve just laughed and rolled his eyes before waving him off and disappearing into his bathroom. Bucky just smiled to himself before he went out to his own bedroom to change and make himself look slightly more presentable.

 

Soon enough, Sam, Steve and Bucky had met outside the main doors of the Avenger’s Tower and they started off into the cool morning air at a light jog. They chatted idly for a little while, until all Sam was capable of was sharp nods as his breathing had become rather laboured. Steve and Bucky were able to keep up a conversation together easily enough, despite the constant glares their friend was giving them.

They were no where near their max speed of course and their breathing was far from laboured, but after a while they allowed themselves to lapse into companionable silence as they ran together. 

When they started back towards the Tower, they slowed down to a light jog once again and Sam picked up the conversation, informing them that Starbuck’s fall menu had just started up over the weekend and that he was eager for Steve to try out their Pumpkin Spice latte. 

The blonde had just laughed and shaken his head, saying that it sounded kind of gross. Bucky readily agreed but Sam insisted that they at least get one to try. So a block away from the Tower they slipped into the busy Starbucks and stood back a bit to take in the menu. 

It seemed like Steve had tried almost their entire menu with Sam’s encouragement over the last few months and so he settled on ordering the aforementioned Pumpkin Spice latte.Bucky wasn’t sure exactly what to try so he took an extra minute to make his choice while Steve and Sam ordered their latte and Americano. 

Bucky finally settled on a cool drink, instead of something hot and eagerly put in his order while his friends stepped off to the side to wait for him. Bucky waited for his drink at the edge of the counter and one of the barista’s approached him with a soft smile on his lips. “Hi there. Mocha Cookie Crumble Frap for Buck. ’S that you?” The younger man asked. 

Bucky smiled softly and nodded, “That’s me.”

The young blonde man smiled at him warmly, “Buck…that’s an unusual name.” He said as he leaned against the counter, still holding the cold drink in his hands, but making no move to pass it towards the brunette.

Bucky just smiled hesitantly, “Uh yeah, just a nickname really.”

The blonde barista chuckled softly and nodded. “Well… _Buck…_ cute nickname like that for a cute guy ’s quite fitting, don’t chya’ think?” He asked with a bit of a cheeky grin.

Bucky couldn’t help the slight flush from staining his cheeks and he reached out numbly for his drink as the young man held it out for him. “Uh…t-thanks…” He stuttered out eloquently, taking the drink.

The blonde just chuckled and winked at him. “Have a great day, _Buck,_ ” He singsonged before he strode away, one last parting look over his shoulder at the brunette.

Bucky watched him go with an incredulous look on his face and he quickly turned on his heel to get the hell out of there. But of course Steve and Sam were standing right there and had seen the _whole bloody thing_.

He inwardly cringed as his cheeks heated even more at the thought of Steve seeing that awkward encounter and he tried to bypass his friends. Sam was snickering under his breath as they followed him out into the street.

Sam turned and grinned widely at him, “Ah…sweet tooth I take it?” He asked, totally unrelated as he looked at the brunette’s drink.

Bucky smiled nervously and shrugged, taking a sip of his frappucino. Steve was eyeing him oddly, sort of a fond, amused smile mixed with a exasperated edge that Bucky found particularly endearing. 

“What is that, anyway?” Steve asked, gesturing towards the drink in his hand. 

Bucky was secretly very thankful that both didn’t seem to want to bring up the barista and he smiled nervously, “It’s a Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappucino.” He said, rather pleased that he remembered the name of the silly drink.

Both Steve and Sam chuckled at him, shaking their heads fondly as they started off once again. Bucky just smirked to himself and continued to sip at his drink as they made their way back towards the Tower.

Some ten minutes later they were stepping off of the elevator onto the communal floor and were heading into the kitchen. They found Tony, Natasha and Clint sitting around the kitchen island while Wanda and Bruce busied themselves making breakfast for the group. They all greeted them and moved to make room for the three to join them. 

But of course this would be the time where Sam would bring up the barista. “So…that barista seemed friendly,” Sam prompted as he took a seat next to Clint. 

The group quickly tuned in to the conversation… _of fucking course_. Bucky just shrugged, trying to play it off as nonchalantly as possible, “I guess so.”

Sam just smirked and glanced over at Steve who took a seat next to Bucky. “What was he saying to you anyway, _Buck_? I didn't hear him quite so well…” Steve said with a bit of a lopsided grin. 

_Fucker_. Bucky thought. Steve had the best hearing out of everyone on the Team… _fucking super-soldier enhanced hearing, of fucking course._ Bucky thought as he rolled his eyes and huffed out a breath, not sure if he wanted to play into this little game.

“Pretty sure he was enjoying your name…think he called your nickname-Buck- _cute_?” Sam offered with a chuckle.

Bucky rolled his eyes as Tony and the others started to laugh lightly. “Well…Buck is sort of a cute name… _Bucky_ on the other hand…is kind of ridiculous,” Clint interjected with a slight laugh.

Steve scowled, pointing a finger at the archer and wagging it menacingly. “Watch your tongue, son. Bucky is a great name,” He said earnestly and Clint grinned.

Everyone laughed at the sternness of his voice and Bucky huffed out an exasperated breath and rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Stevie,” He muttered, shaking his head.

Steve just gave him a smile and shrugged as if to say, ‘don’t mention it’. Tony was suddenly grinning manically, “Oh my God…was the barista _flirting_ with you, Barnes?”

Bucky rolled his eyes, “I dunno…maybe? I think he was just being nice…you know, making conversation while he worked.”

Tony grinned and shook his head, “You sure about that?”

Bucky frowned and nodded, “Yeah? I mean…I’m nothin’ special.”

Tony rolled his eyes and smirked, “Then why’d he leave his name and phone number on your cup?” The genius gestured towards the frappucino cup on the counter in plain sight of everyone.

Bucky glanced down at the cup and his eyes widened as he took in the name Devon and yep…that was definitely a phone number. “Oh for _Christ’s sake_ …” Bucky muttered and rolled his eyes.

The Team started howling, Tony and Clint grinning manically while Sam, Bruce, Natasha, and Wanda were just chuckling softly at his obliviousness. Steve was just smiling at him gently, not laughing or making fun, just watching the whole situation unfold. 

As the laughter died down, Bucky went back to drinking his drink as Wanda and Bruce put a few platters of eggs, bacon and toast down between them all on the island counter. They all started eating and chattering away about other things, the barista situation soon forgotten, to Bucky’s utter relief. 

It was short lived, of course. Steve was leaning past his friend a little to spear a piece of bacon with his fork, he glanced at Bucky nervously then, “So…you gonna’ call him?” Steve asked lightly.

Bucky frowned, taking another sip of his drink, “Call who?”

Steve rolled his eyes. “The barista, Devon?” He tried.

Bucky frowned and glanced over at his friend, “Why would I do that?”

Steve chuckled softly, “I dunno…he seemed to like you. Why not go out on a date with him?”

Bucky shook his head quickly, “I’m not interested in dating him, Stevie.”

Steve frowned a little, watching his friend curiously, “Why not?”

Bucky huffed out laugh, shaking his head, “Cuz he’s not the guy I’m interested in dating at the moment…” 

As soon as it left his mouth, he realized his mistake. He was done for, he was sure of it…everything was going to come out now and he wasn’t sure this was exactly the place to do it, let alone the kind of company he wanted it to happen in front of.

Steve eyed him curiously, tilting his head as he observed the brunette. “Is there a guy you’re interested in dating at the moment…?” Steve asked very softly. 

It was more a breathy whisper actually. The entire kitchen had gone incredibly quiet, all eyes fixated on the two of them. And now Bucky was looking at the blonde nervously while his friend gazed back at him with what looked like hope in his eyes. 

Bucky swallowed down the lump in his throat and blinked hard. “Uh…” He started eloquently.

Steve’s lips quirked just a touch before he was pulling back, his gaze flickering to the table, “I’m sorry, Buck. I didn’t meant to pry. Forget I asked.” 

He started to push his stool back from the table and stood up but Bucky quickly reached out for his wrist with his metal hand, effectively stopping him from leaving the kitchen. He held the blonde’s wrist lightly, his thumb stroking over the pulse point on the inside of the man’s beautiful wrist. 

Their eyes met and Bucky gave him a nervous, hesitant smile as he looked up at his best friend. Vaguely he heard Natasha whispering something that sounded like, “It’s happening… _ohmygod_ , it’s actually happening…like _right now_.” She whispered excitedly.

He was sure he’d never heard her sound excited like… _ever_. So okay, that had him a little surprised, but he had more important things to focus on at the moment. Like the beautiful blonde super-solder watching him with a nervous smile on his lips. He took a deep breath and sat up a little straighter as he tried to compose himself.

“Stevie…it’s you…you’re the guy I’m interested in dating…and not just at this moment…for like-all moments, before now and after now…like, _forever_ …if you want-I mean…I’ve always loved you…” Bucky used to be a pro at this…but clearly when it came to Steve, it didn’t matter how good he used to be at this sort of thing, he would always be at a loss for words when it came to this man and sure he didn’t feel charming at this particular moment but apparently something about what he had said was working, because the blonde’s smile was growing more and more hopeful as he went on.

“You… _you’re such a jerk-_ Buck- _you…_ I-we could have been together before all of this? I mean-I’ve loved you since I knew what love was, you _idiot!_ ” Steve laughed, his cheeks flushing a delightful shade of pink.

Bucky huffed out his own exasperated laugh and shook his head, “Well shit, Stevie.” He chuckled.

Steve just grinned at him but then of course the moment was lost when Tony out of nowhere chimed in with, “Well! Are you two gonna’ kiss already or what?!”

Bucky huffed and glared over at the genius, clearly having forgotten that they had an audience. The entire Team was grinning idiotically at the two super-soldiers and both Steve and Bucky rolled their eyes in fond amusement. 

Steve withdrew his hand from the brunette’s grasp before he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Uh…no, not in front of all of you at least,” Bucky offered with a slight scowl, but it really didn’t come across as anything remotely menacing.

Steve just chuckled nervously and nodded. Tony rolled his eyes, “Fine, spoil my fun. Anyway…I’m happy for the both of you. If you need any idea for fancy dinner places for your dates, I’ve got you covered.”

Bucky chuckled and nodded, “Thanks, Stark…but I think we’ll be alright.”

Steve blushed, the thought of going on a date with Bucky hitting him a little harder than he cared to admit. He was suddenly all nerves as he glanced over at his best friend. The rest of the Team was offering them little congratulations and encouragements and they were quickly both starting to feel a little overwhelmed. 

Everyone went back to eating and chatting and Bucky bit his lower lip as he tried to just relax and finish up the rest of his breakfast. Steve seemed to sense his discomfort and casually reached out to take the brunette’s metal hand in his, just squeezing him reassuringly beneath the table.

Bucky smiled over at the blonde and Steve just gave him a warm smile in return. Bucky glanced up to see if anyone had noticed and when he locked gazes with Wanda, he couldn’t help the sheepish smile. She just smiled at him before pushing some of her thoughts towards him.

_You deserve happiness, James. Steve and you deserve one another. Never forget that._

Bucky smiled warmly across at her before he nodded. She returned his smile only to be swept up in conversation moments later with Bruce. They finished up breakfast after a little while longer before everyone started heading their separate ways. 

Steve glanced over at Bucky nervously, “I’m going to head up and shower. I wanted to get a bit of drawing done today…but…do you uh…want to maybe have dinner with me tonight?” 

Bucky bit his lower lip before nodding, “Yeah…I mean-definitely, Stevie. I’m going to head down to the gym for a bit. Get in a bit more of a workout, I’ll uh…see you later tonight, uh…what time?”

Steve smiled and nodded, biting his lower lip gently as he stood, his hand still clasping the brunette’s. “How about six?” He murmured.

Bucky smiled, casting a quick glance around to see if anyone was still around. They were all sort of milling around the entrance to the living room, but no one seemed to be paying them any attention. “Sounds good…uh, c’mere,” He whispered, pulling the blonde down gently. 

Steve went willingly, bending down a little and was surprised when Bucky pressed his lips to his cheek chastely. Steve blushed deeply and couldn’t help grinning dorkily as he slowly pulled away. 

Bucky just smiled equally as dorkily up at him before letting his hand go, “I’ll see you later, Stevie.” 

Steve just nodded stupidly before he started towards the doorway. He glanced back over his shoulder at his friend and couldn’t help reaching up to touch the spot where Bucky had kissed him. The brunette was still watching him with that stupid smile on his face and Steve just chuckled lightly before he forced himself to leave the room. 

“So that was fuckin’ adorable,” Tony told him as he sidled up to the brunette. 

Bucky chuckled and rolled his eyes, turning to look at the genius. “Thanks, Tony,” Bucky muttered, shaking his head. 

The genius just smirked and patted him lightly on his good shoulder.

 

Later that evening, Steve busied himself in their kitchen with dinner preparations. He wanted to do something nice for Bucky and he may or may not have gone a little overboard with making a big dinner for the brunette. He knew that Bucky wasn't big on going out to restaurants. He’d always prefer a home cooked meal and he’d always insisted that Steve knew what he liked best.

So he thought dinner together for their sort of first date might be nice. He wasn't going to make it a big deal or anything and tell the brunette that he sort of wanted tonight to be a date or anything. Just a quiet night in…a quiet _date night_ in. 

So of course when Bucky showed up later that evening to take a shower, Steve was a bundle of nervous energy as the brunette moved about their apartment. Soon he was showered, dressed and presently standing in their kitchenette watching over the blonde’s shoulder as he finished dishing out their meals.

Bucky smiled warmly at his friend. “Oh Stevie…this looks fantastic,” He murmured, moving to help bring their plates to the table. 

“I know how much you like roast beef and I know we haven’t had it in a while…” Steve told him as he went to open up a bottle of wine for them to share.

Bucky just smiled and sat down at their table, “This looks great, doll. I mean…yeah, ‘course I like roast beef and the fact that you made it is just what makes me love it all the more.” 

Steve chuckled, his cheeks heating at the term of endearment before he brought the bottle over to the table along with a couple of wine glasses. “Would you like some wine?” Steve asked gently.

Bucky smiled up at the blonde, “I’d love some.”

Steve nodded as he poured them both a glass of the red wine…courtesy of Tony Stark. The blonde took his seat once their wine was poured and raised his glass to toast his best friend. Bucky smiled and quickly lifted his own glass to toast as well, when the unmistakable sound of the Avenger’s alarm sounded. 

They both froze, their glasses raised, food untouched, eyes widening before both of their hearts seemed to plummet in their chests. " _Oh for the love of-_ " Bucky started and Steve just gave him a sympathetic smile from across the table. 

"It's okay Buck," He sighed, rising from his seat. 

He set his glass down and picked up both of their plates. “I’ll just put everything in the fridge and we’ll warm it up whenever we get back…okay?” Steve comforted, already moving to put everything away.

Bucky sighed deeply and nodded, reluctantly getting up from the table and shaking his head, “Couldn’t fuckin’ have waited for a few hours…” He muttered under his breath. 

“Go and get suited up, I’ll meet you at the Quintet in ten,” Steve told him with a sympathetic smile. 

Bucky simply nodded as he made his way towards his bedroom to suit up and Steve did the same.

 

Some ten minutes later the Team was assembling on the landing pad and boarding the Quinjet together. Bucky was clearly upset, muttering Russian curses under his breath that had Natasha raising her eyebrows curiously at. 

Steve patted his friend on his good shoulder and leaned in to whisper something in his ear to which the brunette let out a very put upon sigh and nodded reluctantly. Steve smiled gently at him before moving on to more pressing matters, like briefing the Team about their current predicament. 

Apparently unnamed-asshole-villain-of-the-week couldn't wait till tomorrow to try and wreak havoc on New York and had unleashed hundreds of robots on the general population. Thankfully it had happened down by the docks in the warehouse district, so having the area cordoned off had been rather easy and quickly accomplished. 

Thus their two hour long battle against the stupid robots and really, they were stupid. They looked more like some kid’s science experiment and Tony was not impressed in the slightest. They quickly discovered all of their weaknesses and found that the easiest way to dismantle them was to decapitate them. Which was honestly easy enough.

Bucky used his metal arm, tearing their heads right off their bodies in one smooth motion, while Steve used either the shield or his bare hands to cut them clean off. If Bucky used a little more force than strictly necessary…so be it. Not like anyone was complaining. Whatever got them the fuck out of there faster.

By the time they had gotten around to putting the last few robots out of commission, they were all a little more exasperated than angry…well, except for Bucky. He was apparently still sore about the whole date night being ruined and Steve was just happy that everyone had come out alright and that no civilians were injured. The whole no property damage thing was also a win in his books.

So here they were, back on the Quintet, about to head off back the Tower a couple of hours later. Steve was standing up by the pilot’s chair, watching over Natasha’s shoulder as she took off, with Clint at her side in the co-pilots seat.

They discussed their plans for debriefing in the morning and soon Steve was walking back to take a seat with Wanda, Bucky and Sam. Bruce had sat this one out, deeming it not necessary for the Hulk to come out and play for something of this magnitude.

Steve took a seat across from his friend, glancing up at the brunette and giving him a soft smile. Bucky just huffed slightly and gave him a little smile in return. “Can’t believe they ruined my date night for this,” Bucky muttered.

Steve murmured his agreement and both Wanda and Sam chuckled softly under their breath. “So…what’d you guys get up to for your first date?” Wanda asked curiously.

Bucky smiled brightly, “Stevie made me dinner…looked so good too…didn’t even get to fuckin’ eat it. There was wine too…” He huffed and shook his head in annoyance.

Steve just smiled at him, “We can heat it up when we get back and we will definitely be having that wine.” Steve told him.

Both Wanda and Sam laughed lightly. “I’m sorry your dinner date was interrupted, but we weren’t gone too long…the night is still young,” Wanda assured.

Steve chuckled softly and nodded,”I agree.” 

Bucky smiled over at the blonde, “Yeah?”

Steve smiled warmly at him, “Yeah, Buck.” 

 

Soon enough they were back at the Tower and parting company. Steve and Bucky took the elevator down to their floor and Steve glanced over at the brunette, pressing his back up against the elevator wall opposite him. “So…” The blonde murmured.

Bucky glanced up at him, giving him a soft smile. “So…” He whispered.

Steve’s lips quirked as a flush started to bloom across his cheeks, “You were pretty great out there tonight…”

Bucky couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips then, “Yeah? I think you were pretty incredible yourself…Captain.”

Steve’s breathing hitched ever so slightly and Bucky noticed the way the blonde’s pupils expanded, the blue of his beautiful eyes becoming even smaller. The brunette swallowed hard, his heartbeat quickening as he dared to take a step closer to the blonde. Steve watched him quietly for a moment, his own breathing increasing slightly.

“Watching you out there…all that strength…” Steve murmured, raising his hand to gently settle it upon the brunette’s chest. 

He squeezed his bicep gently and Bucky tried desperately to keep still as he met the blonde’s unwavering gaze.

The elevator doors opened then to their floor and quietly Steve pushed him backwards through the open doors and directly into their apartment. Bucky let himself be pushed and they stepped back together into their living room. 

Vaguely they were aware of the elevator doors closing and the car being called off somewhere else, but none of it mattered really. “You looked so incredible, Buck…the way you move…the way you fight…I could tell you were angry-were you angry because our dinner was interrupted?” Steve asked. 

His voice had dipped low and was borderline gravelly and Bucky thought his knees were about to give out. He’d never heard the blonde’s voice pitched so low before…he really, _really_ liked it. There was a heat behind the blonde’s eyes, his lips drawn up in a slight smirk and his whole body was exuding confidence at the moment. 

Bucky swallowed hard. “I-I was angry that we were interrupted, yeah,” He whispered.

Steve hummed in the back of his throat and Bucky bit his lower lip. “I was pretty disappointed myself…but, I have to admit…getting to see you out there fightin’ like that…sort of got me a little worked up,” The blonde husked, splaying his fingers wide against the brunette’s chest.

Bucky let out a slightly undignified sound but quickly cut it off by clearing his throat. _Okay…so…Steve talkin’ to me like this is definitely doing something for me…and also-when the fuck did he get so confident in his sexuality, exactly?_ He wondered.

“ _Steve-_ ” Bucky whispered. “I-you’re _killin_ ’ me here…” Bucky breathed, unable to keep the grin off his face.

Steve chuckled and rolled his eyes, “I’m tryin’ to be sexy here, Buck…”

Bucky laughed and grinned, “Oh, there’s no _tryin’_ here, pal. You’re pullin’ it off just fine.”

Steve blushed and smirked a little, “So…would you be mad if I continued?”

Bucky smiled. “I could never be sore at you, especially for that, Stevie,” He murmured.

Steve smiled softly and leaned in a little closer to the brunette. “Think maybe I could kiss you, Buck?” He murmured.

Bucky blushed and he was sure even the tips of his ears were going red at this point. Unthinkingly, he darted his tongue out, wetting his lips. “Y-yeah, doll,” He whispered.

Steve leaned in a little more, his hand reaching up to take the brunette’s chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting his chin up ever so slightly. Bucky swallowed and couldn’t help letting his gaze drift down to look at the blonde’s gorgeously pink lips. 

“ _God_ …I love you, Buck,” Steve murmured as he leaned in the rest of the way, his eyes fluttering shut as he kissed the brunette tenderly. 

Bucky’s breath hitched at the first press of warm lips against his own and he let his eyes drift shut as he kissed the blonde back slowly. It wasn’t awkward or forced at all. It was perfect, really. They knew nearly everything there was to know about each other…well, almost-so this was just something that felt so natural for them. Sure, it was completely new territory for them both, but they didn’t let that stop them.

They kissed slowly, just a gentle press of lips. But then Steve’s lips were parting and Bucky let out a little breath as he let his own lips part, his tongue slipping out to gently swipe against the blonde’s bottom lip. 

Steve’s hand was still grasping his chin lightly and soon it slipped down to cup the side of the brunette’s neck. Bucky settled his hands on the blonde’s hips, pulling him back towards him. They stumbled a little until Bucky was pressed firmly up against the back of the couch. 

Steve gasped out against his neck as they pressed up against one another and soon they were really kissing. Bucky was kissing him deeply, his tongue delving into the blonde’s mouth hungrily. Steve groaned low in his throat against his lips before he was pulling back, breaking the kiss as he panted harshly into the space between them. 

“Stevie…I love you… _please_..don’t ever stop kissin’ me,” Bucky gasped. 

No sooner had the words left his mouth and then Steve was on him once again, kissing him back deeply. Bucky moaned against the blonde’s lips and Steve nipped and sucked on the brunette’s bottom lip gently before he was delving inside Bucky’s hot, wet mouth, tasting him in earnest. He couldn’t get enough of the brunette’s beautiful taste, a taste uniquely him. He never wanted to stop kissing him. 

“Why did we wait so long to do this?” Bucky groaned in between kisses.

Steve let out a huff of breath in response as Bucky’s hands wound their way into his golden hair. “I don’t know, Buck… _fuck-_ I’m so sorry,” He breathed against the brunette’s lips.

Bucky kissed him back feverishly then, tugging lightly at the blonde’s hair and Steve let out a harsh breath as their pelvises came into contact briefly. He could feel the brunette’s hard length beneath the layers of kevlar between them and he was sure Bucky could feel his own. The blonde quickly broke the kiss. 

He didn’t pull back, however, he just panted slightly against the brunette’s lips. “C-can I blow you?” He asked nervously.

Bucky was sure his brain had just short circuited. “Uh- _what?_ ” He stuttered.

Steve blushed hotly and bit his lower lip as he started to draw away, “I-I’m sorry…that-that was really forward of me. I shouldn’t have said that-forget I said it, please?” Steve panicked, swallowing down the lump in his throat.

Bucky was staring at him incredulously, his jaw practically on the floor as he watched the blonde. “Steve…Stevie.. _fuck_..uh, _yes_. I mean, yeah…if you want to? I mean, _I_ want you to…do _that_ …I mean…” He stuttered, stumbling over his words rather professionally if he did say so himself.

Steve was giving him such a hopeful, nervous smile and Bucky found himself huffing out a little chuckle at the sight. “Isn’t it all moving a little fast, though?” Steve offered, but his heart clearly wasn’t in it.

Bucky chuckled outright then, “I think we’ve taken things pretty fuckin’ slow for the last century…so what if we move a little fast now?” He tried with a slight shrug.

Steve bit his lower lip gently and nodded, “Yeah…okay…well…” He murmured before he promptly slipped down the length of the brunette’s body and settled on his knees. 

He gazed up at his friend then and Bucky groaned at the sight. “You being on your knees like that…” Bucky muttered and Steve couldn’t help but chuckle darkly as his hands moved to caress down the length of the brunette’s thighs.

“Mmm…I bet if our positions were reversed…I’d be thinkin' the same thing,” Steve insisted, licking his lips with anticipation. 

Bucky groaned and huffed out a little breath, shaking his head. “Seriously though…” Bucky started but was quickly cut off as the blonde’s hands came to the button on his pants. 

Steve didn’t stop there, however. He flicked it open easily before he moved to pull down the zipper slowly. Bucky’s breathing was growing harsher by the second and soon Steve had his pants open and was shifting them down the brunette’s hips easily. 

He looked up at Bucky then with a nervous smile, “I’ll admit, Buck…I’ve never done this before…but _fuck_ do I ever want to get my mouth on you.” He confessed.

Bucky stifled the urge to whimper at that little declaration and just nodded for a moment as he took a couple of steadying breaths before speaking. “Just…take your time…it’s been a hell of a long time since anyone’s ever done this for me and you should know that you’re the only man I’ve ever wanted to be with…I’ve never honestly been with a guy before,” He confessed, swallowing thickly.

Steve just smiled up at him warmly, “You’ve always been the only guy I’ve ever wanted to be with, Buck…and yeah…I’ve never been with a man or a woman before…so, this is all kinds of new for me…” Steve told him gently.

Bucky blushed deeply. He had always assumed that Steve had lost his virginity somewhere along the line. He had thought maybe with one of the girls he had used to set him up on dates with back before the War, or maybe with a chorus girl after he had received the serum…or even Peggy thereafter. 

And he hadn’t honestly considered that Steve could still be a virgin after all this time. He wasn’t about to ask him right this moment why he had waited for so long, he was pretty sure he would know what the answer would be. He smiled gently at the thought but then Steve was giving him a sort of cheeky grin and then the palm of his large hand was pressing against his cock still trapped beneath his briefs. 

He gasped out sharply and Steve smirked, “Just because I haven’t done anything before…doesn’t mean I haven’t done my research…” He murmured.

Bucky swallowed hard. “ _Research…_ ” He stated flatly. 

Steve just grinned at him. “ _Research.,_ ” He mirrored as he palmed at his friend-no- _lover’s_ cock beneath his briefs. 

Bucky grunted softly before the blonde reached up to tug at his waistband gently, pulling them down easily. He let them rest with his pants low on his thighs and as he took in the sight of the brunette before him, he couldn’t help the soft moan from escaping his lips.

“Oh _Buck_ …” He practically moaned, warm breath ghosting against the brunette’s aching length. 

Bucky bit his lower lip in an attempt to stifle any sounds that wanted to escape. He was by no means a small guy and even back before the shotty serum he’d been given, he’d always been a bit bigger than average…or so the women he’d been with had told him. But now…now he was nervous. 

He wondered if Steve liked what he saw and for a moment he started panicking but he was quickly reassured when Steve looked up at him through lowered lashes, “You’re so perfect, Buck.”

The brunette blushed hotly and wanted to tear his gaze away from the blonde but found himself powerless to do so as he watched his lover. _God…he’s my lover-my partner…my boyfriend and best friend._ He thought as Steve’s large calloused hand came up to grasp his length gently.

Bucky tried to keep his legs from giving out and immediately leaned back against the sofa a little, his metal hand reaching back to grab the backrest to steady himself. He wondered how he was going to handle having the blonde’s mouth on him when just his hand alone felt like pure sin. 

Steve smiled up at him cheekily. “You alright there, Buck?” He asked, giving Bucky a very slow, teasing stroke from the base of his cock right to the tip.

Bucky breathed out shakily as he nodded, not quite trusting himself to speak at the moment. Steve just smiled up at him coyly before he let his gaze flit back towards the brunette's gorgeously erect cock in his hand. He continued to give the brunette a few teasing strokes before he was leaning in a bit more, resting his left hand on Bucky’s hip to keep him steady. 

Bucky swallowed hard, absolutely riveted by the blonde as he wet his lips one more time before glancing up at the brunette once again. His mouth was dangerously close to the head of the brunette’s cock now and he held Bucky’s gaze before he leaned in the rest of the way and gave the tip of his lover’s cock a teasing kitten lick. 

Steve couldn’t help the moan that escaped him when he finally got a taste of the brunette’s pre-come as it beaded at the tip and Bucky stifled a desperate whimper at the barely there contact. They were still staring at one another, not daring to break their eye contact just yet.

Steve blushed deeply, “Oh God- _Buck_ …you taste incredible.” 

And that was all he managed before he was wrapping his lips around the head of the brunette’s cock and taking him into his mouth. Bucky practically shouted in surprise, both of his hands coming up to grasp at the blonde’s head, not pushing or forcing, just holding him as he bowed over slightly, his legs shaking as the blonde started moving upon him.

Steve was pressing his tongue firmly against the underside of the brunette’s cock as he bobbed his head slowly, taking Bucky’s hot, hard length into his mouth deeper and deeper on each downward pass. 

Bucky was gasping out, breathing shakily as he tried to keep himself from thrusting forward into that tight, wet heat. The blonde’s eyes were shut tightly for a minute or so while he got used to the feeling of having a cock in his mouth for the first time.

“Shit… _shit-fuck,_ ” Bucky gasped, uncurling a bit and trying to stand up properly so that he could see what the blonde was doing.

Steve had his eyes closed and he looked so utterly blissed out as he started humming in affirmation, maybe?-around the length of the brunette’s cock. His brows were pinched in concentration at the moment and Bucky thought he looked positively _debauched_ with a cock stretching his lips so obscenely like that.

Bucky kept his hands threaded in the blonde’s hair, just caressing and holding him as he worked the length of his cock deeper and deeper into his mouth. Steve was moaning constantly around his length and the vibrations sent delightful shivers racing up his spine. 

He could feel the blonde’s tongue swirling against the head of his cock each time he pulled almost all the way off and with each downward slide he could feel his tongue flattening against the underside, his lips drawn incredibly tight around him. 

He wasn’t even sucking, just bobbing his mouth on him and Bucky groaned at the thought of having Steve figure that one out. He would be done for, he was sure of it. Aaaand…looks like Steve realized there was something in all of his _research_ that he had momentarily forgotten. 

He hollowed out his cheeks and started sucking slow and deep and Bucky fucking _keened_ at the overwhelming stimulation. Steve’s eyes flashed open and at the sound and he was quickly searching the brunette’s face. Taking in the sight of Bucky’s face pinched in pleasure, lips parted as his breathing grew even more ragged. 

His hips stuttered forward and his cock hit the back of the blonde’s throat a little. Steve shut his eyes, nearly gagging at the unexpected depth but managed to catch himself before his gag reflex kicked in.

He blushed furiously before holding the brunette’s hips tightly in place, forcing himself to take him into his throat just a touch. Bucky was moaning obscenely loud now and Steve chanced removing his hand from his hip to gently fondle the man’s balls. 

Bucky practically howled, his grip tightening in the blonde’s hair. “ _Steve-_ ” He panted. “Oh fuck-fuck-fuck… _I can’t…_ you’re gonna’ make me come,” He gasped, his hips jerking forwards.

Steve couldn’t help gagging a little but he recovered quickly, his eyes flashing up to meet the brunette’s concerned, yet wild stare. He winked at the brunette. He fuckin’ _winked_.

Bucky whimpered loudly, biting down on his lower lip hard as the blonde sped up his ministrations. He felt the blonde’s left hand move from fondling his balls to settle against his hip, just holding him steady while his mouth worked upon him quickly. Bucky tossed his head back, breathing harshly into their otherwise quiet apartment as he stared up at the ceiling for a moment.

He was feeling absolutely _wrecked_ and he wasn’t sure anything could top this…like… _ever_. But then of course Steve went and blew his mind yet again. He quickly became aware of the fact the blonde was breathing harder through his nose and then he was making soft moaning sounds around the length of his cock and Bucky was gasping out wetly. That’s when he heard the unmistakable sounds of flesh working over slick flesh. 

He tore his gaze away from the ceiling and craned his neck to see if what he heard was actually what he thought was happening at the moment. He moaned brokenly. _Oh fuck yes._

Steve was jerking himself off _while_ he sucked Bucky off. Bucky was _dying_ …he was sure he was dying and that this must be Heaven because this just…this just would never happen to him in real life. 

He shook his head in disbelief as he watched his lover, his best friend… _his Stevie_ , stroking himself towards his own orgasm. He choked back a soft cry as his orgasm came upon him so suddenly and he gasped out, “ _Steve-_ ” 

Steve whimpered around him as Bucky’s hips stuttered forwards and still and the first drops of come hit the back of his throat. He pulled back a little to rest the head of the brunette’s cock against his tongue and sucked deeply, the hand that had been holding the brunette’s hip moving to stroke him through it. 

He whimpered around the brunette’s cock as he savoured the taste of his come. Bucky was moaning and gasping out above him, his hands still fisted tight in the blonde’s hair. Steve let the brunette slip from between his lips when he felt his own orgasm building and threaten to overwhelm him. 

Steve gasped brokenly, pressing his swollen lips to Bucky’s hip, kissing the soft warm flesh as his hand continued to fly over the length of his own cock. He shut his eyes and panted against his lover and with a soft, barely audible grunt, he came hard and fast, spilling over his fist hotly.

Bucky groaned at the sight, watching as the blonde stroked himself through it, catching his come and stopping it from covering him or their living room floor. He continued to stroke himself through his orgasm, smearing his come covered hand along his length while his entire body shuddered from the force of his release.

“ _Buck,”_ Steve breathed through a soft sigh and the brunette stroked his hair gently, releasing his no doubt painful grip on the beautiful golden mop of hair. 

Bucky huffed out a little laugh after a moment, “ _That…_ ”

Steve chuckled softly. “ _That…_ ” Steve agreed.

Bucky chuckled lightly and leaned back against the couch, his cheeks still flushed… _hell-_ his entire body felt flushed at the moment. Steve slowly got to his feet and carefully slipped himself back inside his briefs, tugging up his suit pants with his clean hand. He smirked a little when he caught Bucky staring at the hand covered in his come. 

He couldn’t help blushing a little as he raised his wet fingertips to his own lips and gave them a little lick while he held the brunette’s gaze. Bucky watched him hungrily and soon he was letting out a rather animalistic growl as he watched the blonde lick his fingers clean of his come.

“Shit- _Steve_ …where the fuck has this side of you been all my life?” Bucky asked with a way too fond smile.

Steve couldn’t help the nervous chuckle escape him then. He bit his lower lip before he stepped in a little closer to the brunette, carefully tucking his cock back into his black briefs before tugging up his kevlar pants. 

Bucky just watched him with a gentle smile and murmured his thanks before he was hauling the blonde in for a fierce kiss. Steve melted against him, moaning softly against his parted lips as their tongues fought against one another for dominance. 

Bucky held the blonde close to him, his flesh and blood hand on the back of his neck while his metal hand gripped his side. Bucky couldn’t help the little moan he made when his slightly oversensitive cock ground against the blonde’s hip, but then of course he felt Steve’s cock clearly taking an avid interest in the proceedings.

He immediately broke free of the kiss and glanced down at the obvious outline of the blonde’s cock beneath his suit. “Did you even go soft _at all_?” Bucky breathed with a hint of wonder lacing his voice.

Steve let out a nervous chuckle. “Uh…not really?” He confessed.

Bucky groaned and shook his head as he started to push the blonde back towards their bedrooms. “Oh Stevie…you gotta get undressed like… _now-_ I need to see you,” Bucky murmured, his hands ghosting across the blonde’s waist to start unfastening the buckles on his suit. 

Steve blushed deeply. “Don’t you want to finish our dinner?” He tried weakly.

Bucky grinned deviously. “Oh…I want to eat something, that’s for sure. Why don’t we start with dessert? Hmm?” He asked, still pushing the blonde back towards his bedroom.

Steve chuckled and rolled his eyes in fond amusement as he let himself be pushed towards Bucky’s bedroom. Soon they were kissing deeply again and shrugging out of their clothing along the way. They kicked off their boots in the hall and Bucky was tossing aside his vest and trying not to litter the floor with his knives and guns.

Steve was laughing lightly as he watched the brunette strip himself of his pistols, carefully settling them down on the little table in the hallway along with several of his knives. Steve smirked at him as he pushed open Bucky’s bedroom door and slipped inside. 

He had managed to slip out of most of his uniform, now only wearing his briefs and a grey tank. He quickly stripped out of those as well once Bucky followed him into the bedroom and the brunette took in a sharp breath as he took in the sight of the blonde standing naked before him.

“You’re so beautiful, Stevie,” Bucky murmured lovingly into the air between them, but of course then he really got a good look at the blonde's cock and he let out a delightful groan that went straight to the blonde’s cock.

Steve just smiled warmly at the brunette before he reached out towards him, lifting the hem of the brunette’s t-shirt up before pulling it off completely. He kissed his lover deeply then and Bucky let out a soft moan as their bodies pressed against one another. The blonde’s hands moved to divest the brunette of his briefs as well and soon they were moving towards the bed together.

At the last second, Steve twisted out of the way and pushed the brunette down onto the covers and quickly followed him down with a kiss. Bucky huffed out a laugh and nipped at the blonde’s lower lip gently as his hands roamed the beautiful expanse of solid muscle pressing down on him. Steve was trembling in his grasp as he moved over the brunette, settling a knee between his outstretched legs. 

Bucky was completely hard against him once again and Steve truthfully hadn’t softened much at all since the start of all this in the elevator. "I need to get you in me like… _now_ ,” Bucky huffed and Steve blushed deeply. 

"Yeah?" Steve asked shyly, his right hand slipping down between them to fondle the brunette's cock briefly before his fingertips slipped a little lower, ghosting against his balls before pressing in gently behind them. 

Bucky inhaled sharply and immediately spread his legs a little more. " _Fuck yeah_ , Stevie," Bucky gasped out. 

Steve smirked. "I don't want to hurt you, Buck. Have you ever tried to take anything before?" He asked softly. 

Bucky nodded, “Y-yeah...couple a fingers once in a while. Never anything more than two…"

Steve's breath hitched at the thought of Bucky pleasuring himself like that and he leaned down to kiss the brunette deeply before muttering, "I think I'm a bit bigger than a couple of fingers, love."

Bucky trembled. Hearing Steve call him love was just… _perfect_. He swallowed hard, "I want you, Steve. Don't leave me hangin' here. I want to feel you so deep inside a’ me. You're big-okay- _huge_ , yeah…but I bet you fit perfect in me."

Steve smiled against his lips and nodded, "Yeah, Buck. I bet we fit together perfect like that too."

Bucky nipped at his lower lip gently, “So...gonna spread me open so that I can take your cock, baby doll?" Bucky purred. 

Steve tried to control his shaky breathing and nodded, "Fuck yeah, Buck."

Bucky grinned before he was promptly caught up in a desperate kiss that was all tongue and teeth, but it was fuckin _perfect_. Steve's hands were all over him once again, caressing the brunette's chest and down his stomach before he was asking the brunette if he had any lube. Bucky quickly reached out for his bedside table where he pulled open the drawer and fumbled around inside for a moment. When he brought his hand back to the bed, he was carrying a rather full bottle of lube. Steve smirked slightly and took it from him, setting it down on the bed next to them. 

They kissed deeply while Steve ground himself against the brunette's hip and Bucky tried to grind up against him whenever he could. It wasn't nearly enough but they were reluctant to stop kissing. So Steve compromised. 

The blonde started laying soft kisses down along the brunette's jaw and then farther still, laying soft wet kisses along the expanse of his lover’s bared throat. He nipped at Bucky's pulse point sharply and Bucky grunted as he arched up against him. 

Steve was smiling as he moved lower, kissing along his collarbone before he came into contact with the brunette's scarred shoulder. Bucky stiffened and Steve tried to soothe him with gentle praise and warm, tender kisses along the seam where metal met flesh. 

Steve had only ever seen him out of his shirt a couple of times. Usually whenever Tony was working on his arm, but he had never been allowed to soothe, to touch, caress and kiss. He wanted Bucky to know how much he loved every inch of him. 

The blonde kissed and licked at the scarred flesh, murmuring softly against him and Bucky slowly started to relax beneath him. The brunette was breathing hard and he bit his lower lip firmly as he let his head rest back against the pillows, his flesh and blood hand coming up to run through Steve's golden hair. 

The blonde smiled adoringly as he looked up at his lover. He was certain he'd never seen a more beautiful sight. Bucky looked so at peace in that moment. Just relaxing and clearly feeling good. Steve smiled warmly before he shifted, moving back up to kiss his lips once again. 

Bucky kissed him back deeply and soon Steve was nipping at his lower lip and tugging at it gently. Bucky groaned and leaned up as the blonde started to pull away a little. Steve shushed him and reached for the bottle of lube, showing it to the brunette. Bucky bit his lower lip and watched as the blonde opened the little bottle and poured some of the clear liquid onto his fingers, coating them thoroughly.   
"You sure this is what you want?" Steve asked gently. 

Bucky nodded, "Yeah, baby doll. I want you, c’mon..." He urged, shifting his hips a little. 

Steve smirked a bit and shifted back onto his heels, lifting the brunette's thighs up so that he had his knees bent. Bucky was biting his lower lip hard as he watched the blonde move between his legs. 

Steve gave the brunette's cock a long pull and Bucky's breath hitched. The blonde smiled and then slipped his slick fingers down between the brunette's legs. Bucky gasped out in surprise when the blonde's fingertip gently caressed his hole and Steve smiled at him reassuringly. 

"Relax for me, Buck…” He murmured.

Bucky nodded, leaning his head back and breathing deeply, just relaxing back against the bed. Steve smiled and continued to tease at the brunette's puckered hole before he pressed forward just a touch. There was a little resistance at first but then the tip of his finger was slipping gently inside of the brunette's body.

Bucky moaned low in his throat and Steve’s breathing hitched. “Oh God, _Buck_ …you’re so tight…” Steve whispered, slipping his finger in a little deeper. 

Bucky whimpered as the blonde’s finger slipped in and out of his body slowly. He took his time opening him up and soon he had two fingers pressed deep inside the brunette’s willing heat and Bucky was whimpering softly beneath him. Steve leaned over him and pressed a reassuring kiss to his lover’s lips. 

“You’re doing so well for me, baby. Think you can take another finger for me?” Steve asked, gently nipping at his lover’s bottom lip.

Bucky groaned and nodded. “Y-yeah, Stevie. I can take it,” He breathed.

Steve smirked softly against his lips and slowly crooked his fingers on the pull out. Bucky keened when the blonde stroked against his prostate, his back arching up from the bed in a tense arc as his hands scrabbled for purchase on the blonde’s shoulders.

Steve practically growled at the response he got and he practically trembled with raw need as he stroked over that sensitive bundle of nerves a couple more times. Bucky was gasping and writhing against the sheets, his hands grasping at the blonde’s shoulders hard as he tossed his head back against the pillows and panted harshly into the air.

“Does that feel good, Buck?” Steve teased, slowly withdrawing his fingers only to slip three back inside of him this time. 

Bucky whimpered and mewled desperately, pressing himself back onto the blonde’s fingers. “Yes- _fuck-_ yes, Stevie. _Please_ …I’m ready-I want you in me- _c’mon_ -“ He whimpered, moaning loudly as the blonde worked him open with three of his beautifully long fingers. 

“You’re doing so good, baby. I’ve got you,” Steve murmured, slowly withdrawing his fingers from inside the brunette. 

He quickly slicked himself up before wiping his hand on the sheets and gripping his lover’s hips, pulling him towards him a little more. “You ready for me, Buck?” Steve breathed, biting his lower lip hard as he slowly positioned himself against his lover’s tight rim. 

Bucky whimpered softly and spread his legs a little, shifting to allow for better access. “Yeah, Stevie-I’m ready, _c’mon-_ ” He muttered, biting his lower lip hard. 

Steve smirked and raised his lover’s right ankle up onto his shoulder, looking down at the brunette with such love and adoration in his eyes. “I love you, Buck,” Steve whispered, slowly guiding himself forward.

Bucky gasped out, inhaling sharply as the blonde started to press inside of him. His brows pinched up and he struggled to breathe evenly as he tried to relax his body enough to let his lover in.

Steve grunted under his breath, breathing deeply as he slowly rocked forward into that exquisitely tight heat. Bucky whimpered loudly, trembling hard as he grasped at the blonde’s biceps. Steve leaned over him slowly, pressing soft warm kisses against the brunette’s neck and up along his jaw. 

Bucky captured his lips in a bruising kiss and soon he could feel the blonde’s hips pressing flush against him, his cock buried so deep inside of him. 

“Yes-oh _God_ Stevie- _yes_ ,” Bucky gasped against the blonde’s lips.

Steve trembled hard and nipped at his lover’s lower lip. “You feel incredible… _oh God Buck…_ I d-don’t think this-I’m not going to be able to last,” He whispered, sounding rather strained.

Bucky whimpered loudly, “It’s okay, Steve. I-I don’t think I’m gonna’ be able to either.” He confessed.

They both let out a breathless chuckle and Steve slowly drew his hips back. Bucky groaned, panting loudly before the blonde shifted his hips forward once again, his cock sliding right back into that tight willing body.

They both groaned as he buried himself deep inside of his lover once again and soon the blonde had managed to pick up a slow but steady rhythm. Steve lowered the brunette’s ankle from his shoulder before Bucky was wrapping his legs tight around the blonde’s waist, drawing him in closer. 

Steve swallowed hard, thrusting his hips forward a little sharper. Bucky keened as the blonde managed to brush against his prostate and Steve grunted as his body tightened around his cock. 

“ _Fuck-_ Stevie, oh please- _harder_ ,” Bucky gasped out, his back arching off the bed as he tried to meet each of his lover’s thrusts.

Steve breathed harshly into the air between them and he quickly picked up his pace, thrusting into his lover’s tight heat harder and faster than before. “God Buck-you’re so beautiful-so gorgeous like this-all sweaty and breathless- _fuck,_ ” Steve breathed, angling his hips a little better and drawing the brunette back to meet every one of his powerful thrusts. 

Bucky was whimpering and keening loudly, bucking himself back onto his lover’s cock as best he could. “ _Yes_ - _yes-yes!”_ Bucky cried, screwing his eyes shut tight as his hands reached up behind him to brace himself against the headboard. 

Steve grunted, cursing colourfully under his breath as he fucked into his lover harder and faster than before. “Come for me, Buck-I want you to come on my cock. Think you can do that for me, baby?” Steve breathed.

Bucky keened loudly, his spine snapping to attention rigidly as he met each of the blonde’s hard, sure thrusts. “ _Steve-_ ” The brunette practically shouted, looking up into his lover’s beautiful blue eyes. 

He was floored by the way Steve was talking to him, utterly starstruck by the raw sexual energy the blonde was exuding. Bucky whimpered loudly and nodded quickly, not daring to break his lover’s gaze. Steve breathed harshly and gave him a little smirk as he started fucking into him at a slightly different angle, now striking the brunette’s prostate with every thrust. 

“Come for me, Buck,” Steve demanded lowly.

Bucky cried out at the first thrust directly against his prostate and his body spasmed around the blonde’s hard length as he clawed desperately at the wooden headboard above him. Steve watched in pure adoration as the brunette beneath him writhed and moaned against him, grasping at his hips tighter as the brunette’s eyes screwed shut.

Seconds later, only a couple of hard, sharp thrusts more and the brunette was coming harder than he had ever thought possible. His body tensed and his lips parted as he threw his head back against the pillows and let out a wordless keening cry as his orgasm tore through him, painting his abdomen with white hot spurts of his release.

Steve grunted, inhaling sharply as he felt his lover’s tight channel flutter around his aching length over and over again. He swore sharply before he too was tumbling over the edge, thrusting erratically into the brunette’s inviting body. He thrust in deeply, choking back a soft grunt as he stilled, buried deep inside his lover’s body and came hard. 

Bucky was whimpering brokenly, his body trembling and twitching in the aftershocks of his orgasm and Steve let out a soft moan as he nearly collapsed down onto his lover. Bucky immediately wrapped his arms around the blonde, holding him tightly against him as he slowly let his legs slip from around his lover’s waist.

Steve reached under the brunette’s shoulders and cradled him tightly, burying his face against his lover’s neck, kissing and licking and nipping as they came down from their orgasms. “Stevie,” Bucky murmured after a beat, pressing a soft kiss to the blonde’s temple.

Steve smiled lazily and drew back a little to press a warm, loving kiss to his lover’s lips. Bucky let his eyes drift shut as he returned the kiss and after a few moments they parted and looked deep into one another’s eyes. 

“I love you, Stevie,” Bucky murmured.

Steve smiled warmly down at the brunette, “I love you too, Bucky. I always have and I always will.”

Bucky smiled warmly and pulled the blonde down against him, resting their foreheads against one another’s. After a little while, Steve disentangled himself and went to retrieve a washcloth to clean them both up. 

Soon they were curled up with one another, Steve spooning the brunette comfortingly. “By the way…where the hell did that side of you come from?” Bucky suddenly asked with a little chuckle.

Steve grinned against the back of his lover’s head, pressing a soft kiss against his hair. “I think you brought it out in me Buck…I-I couldn’t help it,” Steve told him gently.

Bucky chuckled and shook his head a little, cuddling back against his lover. “Think you’ll be able to sleep?” Bucky asked softly.

Steve nodded, letting out an unexpected yawn, “Yeah…I think I’ll be alright to sleep for a little bit.”

Bucky smiled, “I’ll keep an eye on you, doll. Get some sleep, okay? How about I make us pancakes in the mornin’?” Bucky suggested.

Steve smiled and nodded. “That sounds really nice, Buck…night baby,” He murmured.

Bucky just smiled and shut his eyes, whispering his own good night before they slipped off to sleep. 

 

It wasn’t until almost 8am when Bucky awoke to a rather unexpected surprise. Steve had decided to wake him up with a few teasing kisses and caresses and before they knew it, they had wound up having a repeat of last night’s rather carnal activities. 

Eventually they managed to pry themselves out of bed…well, Steve had. Bucky was still lounging around in the sheets while the blonde busied himself with brushing his teeth and putting on some clothes. He settled for a t-shirt and sweat pants for the time being. 

Steve sighed and rolled his eyes. “I guess I’ll be the one making pancakes this morning,” The blonde said with a soft chuckle.

Bucky grinned over at his lover. “I’m sorry, not my fault you wore me out,” He teased.

Steve rolled his eyes and smiled, “I’ll meet you in the kitchen. Want coffee?”

Bucky nodded and slowly got up to stretch before making his way into the bathroom to relieve himself. “Yes please!” He called to the blonde.

Steve simply smiled and nodded before he was opening the door of Bucky’s bedroom and stepping out into the hallway. He was promptly met with the smell of fresh coffee and what he thought could be pancakes. His brow furrowed slightly and he curiously started down the hall towards the living room and by extension the kitchenette, carefully avoiding the clothing strewn about from their hurried trip into the bedroom last night.

He froze when he rounded the corner, however, and caught sight of his teammates all sitting around their kitchen island sipping coffee and grinning like idiots at one another. They noticed him of course and all their shit eating grins turned on the blonde then.

He swallowed hard and quietly made his way towards them. He was really wondering how long they had been there-

“Morning, Cap!” Tony greeted, raising his mug of coffee in a gesture of hello. 

Steve swallowed hard, “Uh, morning…I didn’t expect to see you all in my apartment…so early…” He murmured nervously.

Tony grinned feral-like at him then, “Debrief, remember?” 

Steve stepped up to the little group then and met most of their gazes, but everyone seemed to be giving him either a knowing smile or a shit-eating grin. He wasn’t sure which was worse. 

“Ah…sorry…it must have slipped my mind-“ Steve told them, but was interrupted by Bucky calling out from his bedroom.

“Stevie! Have you seen my knives?! Where the fuck did I-” Bucky cried, but then silenced himself when he stepped out into the hall only to stumble upon his weapons and the trail of clothes. 

“Never mind-found em’- _shit_ -we were definitely in a bit of a hurry seeing as you left your clothes all over the floor,” Bucky teased as he came round the corner, only to stop dead at the sight that greeted him.

“Morning buckaroo!” Tony singsonged, grinning evilly at the brunette.

Bucky swallowed hard, his cheeks flushing delightfully as he took in the sight of his Team…and Steve…who was blushing a lovely shade of pink. “Uh…hi…er-morning,” Bucky greeted with a nervous chuckle as he made his way into the kitchen.

“So…is it safe to say that you’ve already had your _debriefing_?” Clint teased with a salacious eyebrow wiggle directed at the blonde.

Natasha elbowed the archer in the side and he yelped in pain. Bucky’s cheeks flushed an equally deep shade of pink and Steve let out a nervous huff of laughter. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” The blonde tried weakly, but to no avail.

Tony grinned, “Oh…don’t even try and deny it-you may be quiet but _Barnes_ sure as fuck isn’t.” 

Bucky’s flush immediately turned into a full body blush and Steve was clearly no better off at this point. Their gazes met from across the kitchen and Bucky just decided to hell with it and shrugged, “What can I say-Steve’s very thorough with his… _debriefs_.” 

Tony cackled, despite the incredibly horrid continued use of the pun and soon the rest of the Team was giggling and rolling their eyes along with one another. Bucky glanced over at Steve from across the kitchen island a little while later and gave him a soft smile to which Steve simply blushed lightly and returned it, biting his lower lip as he shook his head in amusement. 


End file.
